What Oktoberfest is

The Munich folk festival, running from mid-September to the first Sunday in October — despite the name, most of it happens in September, when the weather is better.

It began in 1810 as the wedding celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig and has been held almost every year since.

Why the date changes but the weekday does not

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. The date is set by a weekday rule rather than a fixed number, so it lands on a different date each year within a known window.

The date follows a published weekday rule, so it can be computed years ahead. Where a country sets the holiday in law, the official government calendar is the authority — and legislatures do occasionally move a public holiday for a one-off reason.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.