FC Bayern Munich and Paulaner are bringing an actual Bavarian Oktoberfest setup to Time Out Market Union Square on Friday, September 18, from 1 to 7 p.m. Paulaner is one of only six breweries officially permitted to pour at the original Munich festival, so the beer is the real thing rather than a themed tap takeover, and admission is free if you RSVP.
- When — Friday, Sept. 18, 1:00-7:00 p.m.
- Where — Time Out Market Union Square, Manhattan
- Cost — Free with RSVP; some ticketed tiers around $15; group tables include a bucket of beers
- The match — FC Bayern vs. Union Berlin live on the big screens, kickoff 2:30 p.m. ET
- Also — Oktoberfest dishes from Market vendors, Bavarian games, stein-hoisting contests, live DJ sets
- Shopping — Classic Football Shirts pop-up: retro jerseys, current kits, the FC Bayern Oktoberfest special-edition shirt
- Dress code — Lederhosen and dirndls encouraged
If you want to watch the match, the 2:30 kickoff is your anchor — everything else runs around it. Show up at 1, get a beer and a table, and you have a seat before Bayern and Union Berlin line up. Group table bookings include a bucket of beers, which is the cheaper route if you are coming with people rather than solo.
The window is one afternoon, and the free tier is RSVP-gated, so this is worth deciding on now rather than Friday morning. It is also a reasonable non-committal version of Oktoberfest: no tent, no trek to a beer hall, no cover — beer, soccer, and a pop-up jersey shop in a room you can leave whenever you want.