The world's biggest folk festival
Oktoberfest fills MUNICH every autumn with music, food and tradition, and this word search gathers it all. You'll track down the famous outfits — the LEDERHOSEN and the DIRNDL — worn under the huge festival TENT, where a STEIN is raised with a hearty CHEERS.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the festival changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Bavarian food, music and fun
This is BAVARIA at its most festive, and the traditions are here. Tuck into a giant PRETZEL, a BRATWURST or a SAUSAGE, served with a MUG and a TOAST. There's the OOMPAH and POLKA of the FOLK band, a fairground CAROUSEL, a grand opening PARADE, and the whole of GERMANY in a festive mood in true BAVARIAN style.
A royal wedding that never stopped
Oktoberfest has a surprising origin: it began in 1810 as a giant public party to celebrate the wedding of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig. The people of MUNICH had such a good time that they did it again the next year, and the next — and more than two hundred years later it has grown into the largest folk festival in the world, drawing around six million visitors to BAVARIA every year.
Despite the name, most of Oktoberfest actually takes place in September, ending in early OCTOBER, when the weather is warmer. Visitors dress in traditional BAVARIAN outfits — LEDERHOSEN (leather shorts) for men and the DIRNDL dress for women — and gather in enormous decorated TENTs for hearty food, fairground rides and the cheerful brass music of an OOMPAH band.
Great for a Germany topic
It pairs perfectly with a lesson on Germany or autumn festivals around the world — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own Bavarian words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Oktoberfest word search?
The Munich folk festival — lederhosen and dirndls, pretzels and bratwurst, oompah polka bands and plenty of Bavarian tradition. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
What traditions does it cover?
Bavarian ones — the LEDERHOSEN and DIRNDL outfits, giant PRETZELS and BRATWURST, the festival TENT, and OOMPAH POLKA bands in MUNICH.
Is it good for a Germany or cultures topic?
Great fit — pair it with a lesson on Germany or autumn festivals. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.