Oktoberfest Reservation: Court Bans Expensive Resale - Oktoberfest family wins legal fight against inflated table booking resales
The Haberl family, who run Munich's Ochsenbraterei tent at Oktoberfest, have won a legal battle against online resellers charging inflated prices for table reservations. The Munich I Regional Court ruled that an event agency could no longer sell spots at exorbitant markups, reinforcing the tent's terms against profiteering. This follows years of rising prices and disputes over the secondary market for Oktoberfest bookings.
In 2020, reservations for the Ochsenbraterei tent were advertised online for between €1,990 and €3,299—far above the official minimum spend of around €400 for a ten-person table. The Haberl family took action, arguing that such resales violated their terms and conditions. A test buyer later paid €1,729 for just six seats, including food vouchers, under conditions that could have led to their removal from the tent.
The court's decision was welcomed by Oktoberfest chief Christian Scharpf, who warned that inflated resales harm the festival's reputation. Meanwhile, the city's official portal allows unused reservations to be exchanged or sold at their original price, offering a fairer alternative.
Between 2020 and 2025, prices for ten-person tables in other tents like Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, and Schottenhamel rose by 20–40%, reaching up to €280. Ochsenbraterei's own prices increased more modestly, from €120 to €180, reflecting lower demand compared to competitors. Yet, by 2023, some online listings demanded nearly €10,000 for multiple tables—far beyond official costs.
The ruling sets a precedent against profiteering from Oktoberfest reservations. Hosts continue to push back against the secondary market, where tables are often sold at many times their original price. For now, the official portal remains the only authorised way to resell bookings at fair rates.
