From 1850, an important annual and important event of Oktoberfest was the parade, organized on the model of the one held in honor of Ludwig of Bavaria and his wife Therese.

Eight thousand people, mostly from Bavaria, dressed in traditional clothes, walk from Maximilian Street through Munich city center to the Oktoberfest site. At the head of the march is Münchner Kindl, which in the Bavarian dialect means "Munich child" - the name of the symbol in the coat of arms of the city of Munich. The coat of arms figure of Munich in the form of a girl in a black Franciscan habit with a mug in her hand, along with the mayor of the city, leads a procession consisting of hosts, brewery carriages, and music bands.