Ozapft is! Here's the first beer of the Wiesn at the tapping ceremony
Ozapft is! The "Schott'n" is where the Wiesn kicks off every year. The oldest tent at the Oktoberfest has been in the hands of the Schottenhamel family business since it was founded in 1867.
What guests can expect at the Festhalle Schottenhamel
What makes it special: Here's where it's tapped
No beer without the Festhalle Schottenhamel, because this is where Oktoberfest is officially opened every year with the tapping of the first keg. At 12 noon sharp, the mayor of Munich taps the first keg of beer here, with as few strokes as possible. “Ozapft is! Auf eine friedliche Wiesn!” Only then are the other tents allowed to start serving beer. Why does the tapping take place at Schottenhamel? Because it was there that the first “official” tapping took place in 1950, by Thomas Wimmer, the mayor at the time. Legend has it that he was in a hurry because he had to open a trade fair on the Theresienhöhe shortly before 12 noon, that it was raining cats and dogs, and that he simply took the shortest route to a tent, which happened to be Schottenhamel. Whether this really happened is not sufficiently documented. However, the opening ritual was born.
The story: The oldest Oktoberfest tent
Hard to believe: in 1867, the predecessor of today's festival tent was still a small wooden shack with 50 seats, whereas today the large festival hall alone can accommodate more than 6,000 guests. In the hot summer of 1872, the Schottenhamel family invented Oktoberfest beer. The lager and summer beer reserved for the festival had been used up prematurely, so Michael I introduced a new beer to the Oktoberfest: Märzen. With 16 percent original wort, it was stronger and more expensive, but subsequently became the classic beer at the Theresienwiese. In 1886, the Schottenhamels erected the first canvas tent here.
The audience: Young Munich residents and students
Today, around 9,000 people can fit into the Festhalle Schottenhamel with its beer garden. The beer tables and benches are unusual and set up differently than in other beer tents: people don't just sit opposite each other at the classic beer table, but also around the corner. This encourages communication and increases the potential for flirting! Schottenhamel is mainly frequented by young Munich residents and, as is traditional, many students and student fraternities.
The music: Otto Schwarzfischer band and Südherz
The Schwarzfischer band has been at the Oktoberfest since 1950 and played the first "Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" after the tapping. Conductor Christian Sachs' motto is "traditional and modern" - Bavarian brass band music is played at lunchtime, with the first beer and chicken. From 9 pm every evening, the Wiesn band Südherz gets the tent shaking. Every Wiesn day ends here as an unforgettable party evening.
The menu: from traditional to Bavarian burgers
At Schottenhamel, great importance is attached to regional, sustainable and high-quality food and products. Most of the ingredients are from Geprüfter Qualität Bayern, organic and some are certified organic Bavarian. The menu includes all the Wiesn classics, with the Wiesn chicken being a particular favourite at Schottenhamel. 8 vegetarian dishes, one of which is even vegan, round off the menu. Since 2023, wine, sparkling wine and champagne, coffee and schnapps have also been on offer.
For Gscheidhaferl: Albert Einstein worked here
In 1908, the Schottenhamel family commissioned Gabriel von Seidl to build a beer castle for 8,000 guests.It was the very first Wiesn festival tent to have electric light instead of candles.The technology was supervised by the Augsburg company J. Einstein.At the time, the boss's nephew Albert Einstein, aged 17, also helped out as a holiday jobber. The later inventor of the theory of relativity screwed in numerous light bulbs in the Schottenhamel tent as an assistant electrician.
Reservierung, Sitzplätze, Musik, Bier und Kontakt
- Festival hosts: Christian, Michael F. und Konstantin Schottenhamel
- Adress: Wirtsbudenstr. 35
- Phone: +49 (0) 89 54469310
- Reservation: https://www.festhalle-schottenhamel.de/de/reservierung/reservierung
- Website: https://festhalle-schottenhamel.de/de
- E-Mail: festhalle@schottenhamel.de
- Seating capacity: 6.288
- Seating capacity outside: 2.742
- Brewery: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
- Beer: 5,9 % Alkohol, 13,7 % Stammwürze
- Music: Otto Schwarzfischer, ab 21 Uhr Südherz
- Specials: This is where the tapping takes place: Ozapft is!
