Munich trade fair and Oktoberfest calendar: when company events get expensive

EY brought 70 colleagues to Bahnwärter Thiel, dinner at La Favela right next door afterwards. Two weeks earlier, the same spot was practically unbookable because of Oktoberfest. The difference wasn't budget. It was the calendar.

Munich has two recurring blocks that shift every event plan: Oktoberfest and the big trade fairs on the Riem grounds. Book without checking either and you either pay more or find no slot at all. Check first and you land right next to both, saving money on both counts.

The dates that decide your calendar

1. Oktoberfest 2026: September 19 to October 4. The 190th Oktoberfest runs on the Theresienwiese (source: oktoberfest.de). For sixteen days, hotel rooms, taxis, and parts of the city-centre venue market are booked out or priced up for anyone travelling in.
2. electronica 2026: November 10 to 13. The world's largest electronics trade fair fills the Munich exhibition centre (source: messe-muenchen.de). Fair hotels and caterers around Riem sell out that week, exhibitors and visitors compete for the same rooms.
3. BAU 2027: January 11 to 15. The architecture and construction trade fair lands right after the holidays (source: messe-muenchen.de). Plan a January event and this week goes on your calendar in red before you send an invite.
4. The quiet window after Oktoberfest. Late October, once the tents come down, the city books normally again. The wall at Bahnwärter Thiel is the same one EY worked on with 70 people, dinner at La Favela afterwards.
5. The quiet window in December before the Christmas market rush. Personio booked exactly there: December 2024, Bahnwärter Thiel, around 60 people, six teams, six words of their own on the wall. Prices, process and December dates are on the Christmas party Munich for companies page.
6. Summer stays the safe default. GKM scheduled their summer day at the Botanikum München deliberately outside any trade fair week: action painting and graffiti barefoot on the lawn, no calendar clash, no hotel question, because everyone was already local.

What this means for your own date

A Munich team event rarely fails on the idea. It fails on the slot. The wall at Bahnwärter Thiel itself is free year-round, but hotel rooms for travelling colleagues, parking, even getting there turn into bottlenecks during Oktoberfest and the big fair weeks. Ask your team first whether anyone needs to travel in. If they do, check the trade fair calendar before you send the invite.

You can cancel free of charge up to 30 days before the date, after that the full price applies. If you're unsure whether the Oktoberfest week will still be open, book early and keep that 30-day window as your exit instead of scrambling two weeks out.

Price itself scales with group size, not the date: from €79 per person net for large groups, smaller groups from €129 per person net. Travel and materials are included either way. What other occasions we cover in Munich is on the overview of team events in Munich.

Graffiti runs as an outdoor format for us, so weather matters alongside the calendar. What to do on a rainy date is covered in the article on team events in bad weather.

Planning with a larger group adds another layer of logistics, our article on team events for large groups covers access and site-selection for that.

Frequently asked questions on timing

Is Oktoberfest week off-limits for company events?

No, just tighter and pricier. If you want it anyway, book early and secure hotel rooms separately instead of bundling both with one provider.

When is Munich calmest for company events?

Two windows: right after Oktoberfest in late October and in December before the Christmas market rush, which is where Personio booked.

We planned for autumn anyway, isn't that enough lead time?

"Autumn" in Munich lands right in Oktoberfest. Late October, once it's packed down, is the same autumn slot without the surcharge.

Does the workshop price change during a trade fair week?

The workshop price itself doesn't, it scales with group size. What gets more expensive is everything around it: hotel, travel, parking.

How many people work for a graffiti workshop at Bahnwärter Thiel?

Anywhere from 10 to 1,000, per our records. EY came with 70, Personio with around 60, both fit the same wall.

Is the GKM case the only alternative to the trade fair calendar?

No, it's just the simplest one. If you're not expecting travelling colleagues in the first place, there's no calendar clash to plan around. The GKM case at the Botanikum sits entirely outside Oktoberfest and the fair calendar.

Want your Munich team event booked on the right week? Get in touch and we'll tell you which week is actually free.

Written and checked by Luca von Oesen, Brain2Canvas (Restless UG, Hamburg). Last updated 2 September 2026. Prices, process and references from our own events.