Munich-approved festival draws a diverse Seoul crowd with German music, food and a Korean addition
German beer, oompah bands and traditional food shared the table with chimaek as Korea's first Munich-authorized Oktoberfest drew visitors to western Seoul.
Oktoberfest Seoul 2026 ran through Sunday at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu, with a ticketed Big Tent and a free outdoor beer garden hosting food, beer and live performances.
Visitors sampled German beer with schweinshaxe, sausages, schnitzel and pretzels, while chimaek — fried chicken and beer — provided familiar Korean flavors.
“It was great to see that so many Koreans enjoy and celebrate German culture with great German music and food, complemented by chimaek, which goes well with German beer — the best beer in the world,” German Ambassador to Korea Georg Schmidt told The Korea Herald on Monday.
The festival, the first in Korea officially authorized by the city of Munich, featured German brass bands alongside its food and beer offerings.
Beyond the festivities, a German culture showroom brought together the German Embassy, Goethe-Institut and other German organizations for film screenings, quizzes and information on studying in Germany.
The Seoul edition of Munich's Oktoberfest, which traces its origins to 1810, drew a crowd extending well beyond the German community.
“It felt less like a German event in Seoul and more like Seoul coming together around German culture,” a foreign resident in her late 30s told The Korea Herald, requesting anonymity.
“You had Germans, Koreans, Latin Americans, Africans and South Asians sharing the same space, alongside many young Koreans and families,” she said.
“Holding it on a weekend at an easy-to-reach location made that mix possible.”
Moon, a Seoul-based writer, said the audience participation was one of the festival's highlights.
“The most enjoyable part for me was singing ‘YMCA’ along with the German singer. I wasn’t familiar with the singer, but he had great stage presence and managed to get the audience involved even with songs they didn’t know well,” she told The Korea Herald.
The event also faced some logistical strains.
Choi Yeon-jae, a Seoul resident in her 30s, told The Korea Herald that the single outdoor beer booth had long waits.
“It was a little disappointing that there was only one outdoor beer booth, but the live broadcast of the performances inside allowed people outside to enjoy them as well,” Choi said.
“The best part was enjoying the live performance by a popular German band together with the crowd,” she added.
Schmidt said the mix of visitors showed the social character of Oktoberfest.
“The atmosphere at Oktoberfest is joyful and peaceful, and it's just great to see so many people having a great time and creating a feeling of togetherness,” he said.
“That's what Oktoberfest is about: having a great time and enjoying the time together.”
sanjaykumar@heraldcorp.com
