Oktoberfest for Kids: A Party They Will Remember Without a Drop of Beer

A kids’ Oktoberfest party has one advantage over the grown-up version: nobody is going to judge your Maßkrug technique, and nobody needs a Radler to have a good time. The trick is not pretending the whole festival is built for children, because most of it is not, but borrowing the pieces that genuinely are, then filling the rest with ideas that are honestly yours rather than someone else’s tradition. This is the kids’ branch of my full Oktoberfest party plan, and it starts with what Munich itself actually does for families.

What the real Oktoberfest gives children

Munich’s own Oktoberfest site describes a genuine Family Day, held twice each festival “until 7 pm,” which in 2026 falls on Tuesday, September 22 and Tuesday, September 29. On those Tuesdays, “numerous rides, showmen, and snack bars offer special prices for children and families,” and the large tents add children’s dishes and children’s menus at reduced prices¹.

There is also a dedicated family zone that runs every single day, not just the two Tuesdays: the Familienplatzl, at Wiesn-Straße 3. It offers child-sized portions at family-friendly prices, stroller parking, a baby-changing area, and activities including “baby flight and tin can throwing”¹. That is the honest picture of what children get at the actual Wiesn: discounted rides and food on two specific days, plus a low-key family corner that runs the whole time, not a children’s festival running in parallel.

What is genuinely German, and what is a North American add-on

The pretzel necklace, the one made of small soft pretzels strung on ribbon for kids to wear and nibble at throughout a party, shows up on almost every North American Oktoberfest party list. It is worth saying plainly: no official German source describes this as a children’s Oktoberfest tradition. It is a US and Canadian party custom, and a genuinely good one, but I am not going to dress it up as something Bavarian kids grew up with, because as far as the record shows, they did not.

That distinction matters less than it sounds like it should. A Munich child’s actual Wiesn experience, per the festival’s own family-day page, is a discounted ride, a cheaper children’s plate in one of the big tents, and maybe a round of tin-can throwing at the Familienplatzl¹. There is no equivalent of a themed craft table or a costume photo booth in that description, because the real festival is not a children’s party, it is a very large adult one that happens to be tolerant of families two days a week and in one corner every day. A North American kids’ party, built around crafts and games rather than rides and beer tents, was always going to need its own ideas, borrowed pieces or not.

Practical party ideas, offered as suggestions, not traditions

Everything in this section is mine, built for a party in a backyard or a living room, not lifted from a German children’s tradition. Treat them as options to pick from, not a checklist.

• A pretzel-necklace station. Since it is already a North American custom rather than a German one, own it: pre-string ribbon, set out soft pretzel rounds, and let kids build their own before the food comes out.
• A water steinholding contest, sized down. Fill small cups instead of a one-liter stein and see who can hold an arm out straight the longest; my party games page has the real adult rules if older kids want the full version with water instead of beer.
• A Bavarian-flag coloring or craft table. Blue and white diamonds, paper hats, and a table of markers keep younger kids occupied without any equipment you need to buy.
• A sparkling-juice toast. A round of sparkling apple juice in real or plastic mugs, so the kids get their own version of a toast at the same moment the adults raise a Maß.
• A costume photo corner. A cheap costume-tier outfit and a backdrop does more for the photos than anything else on this list; my costumes page has the honest price range for kids’ sizes.
• A Bavarian-symbol scavenger hunt. Hide paper cutouts of a pretzel, a beer stein and an edelweiss flower around the yard and send kids hunting; it costs nothing but printer paper and keeps a group of mixed ages busy for a genuine stretch of time.
• A take-home party favor instead of a goodie bag. A small paper hat, a pretzel-necklace kit to finish at home, or a printed coloring sheet all travel better than candy and give the party a longer life than the afternoon itself.

None of this needs to run the length of a full adult party. The real Family Day discounts only last until 7 p.m. even at the actual Wiesn, and a two-hour window works just as well for a kids’ version at home, especially if it lands around a nap-friendly early afternoon slot rather than stretching into the evening¹.

Resi says If you want one purchased thing for a kids’ party, make it the costume, not a toy. Oktoberfest Haus’s youth-sized “Realistic Faux” Dirndl and Lederhosen sets run $29.99 to $34.95, the same price as the adult versions, and they hold up for exactly as long as a kids’ costume needs to: one afternoon, a lot of photos, and a spin through the yard². Skip anything pricier for an age group that outgrows clothes twice a year anyway.

Keeping it age-appropriate

None of the ideas above involve alcohol, and none of the real Wiesn’s family programming does either, since the Family Day discounts and the Familienplatzl are built around rides, snacks and low-key activities rather than the tents themselves¹. If older kids or teenagers are mixed in with an adult party, the water-based version of steinholding and the pretzel toss from my games page both scale up without needing a beer anywhere near them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official Oktoberfest day for children?

Yes. Munich’s own Oktoberfest runs a Family Day twice each festival, until 7 p.m., with discounted rides and children’s menus; in 2026 those fall on Tuesday, September 22 and Tuesday, September 29.

Is the pretzel necklace a real German tradition?

No. It is a North American Oktoberfest party custom; there is no official German source describing it as something Bavarian children grew up doing.

What can kids do instead of drinking games at an Oktoberfest party?

A sized-down water steinholding contest, a pretzel toss, hat or flag decorating, and a sparkling-juice toast all give kids their own version of the adult activities.

What should kids wear to an Oktoberfest party?

A costume-tier Dirndl or Lederhosen set works fine and is priced the same as the adult versions from a costume retailer, generally $30 to $35.

Does the real Oktoberfest have rides for kids?

Yes, and on the twice-yearly Family Day those rides come with special prices for children and families, alongside discounted snack bars.

Is there a quiet family area at the real Oktoberfest every day, not just Family Day?

Yes, the Familienplatzl runs daily with child-sized portions, stroller parking, baby-changing facilities and activities like tin-can throwing.

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