Oktoberfest translates to “October Festival” is a part of Bavarian culture that is celebrated since the 18th century. The festival has two major parts: beer and funfair. It is celebrated from about mid September to first Sunday of October. The main festival is celebrated in Munich, Germany, but generally Oktoberfest is celebrated in similar styles across Germany, Europe, and now spreading worldwide.
However, the Munich Oktoberfest is considered to be “the Oktoberfest” or “the ultimate Oktoberfest” experience that none other could compare. I was there last year, and I will share my perspective and experience as below. Please be warned: this is not for the faint of heart.
So what’s special about Oktoberfest apart from drinking LOTS of beer?
Very good question. Apart from beer and funfair as stated above, there are a couple more things:
- The outfits: not sure about you, but I like costumes. I got the chance to wear Bavarian traditional costumes (Lederhoser for the guys, and Dirndl for the girls).
- The boobies: if you’re not showing at least half of your boobs, you are doing it wrong. I personally did it wrong — wasn’t fussed enough to get a push up bra to go with my costume. The point is — it was quite a feast for the eyes. Enough reasons to come to Oktoberfest. Am I right?
- The food: what better way to experience a culture then to eat the food? Especially in this Oktoberfest in Munich, the quality of food are really good because come on, this is “the Oktoberfest”. If you’re a beginner in German food, look out for: Schweinshaxe (Roasted pork knuckle) and anything meat; Picked Cabbage (Sauerkraut): you might either hate it or love it. Maybe not the latter; Sausage and bread (Bratwurst); Pretzels; Bavarian special: white sausage with honey mustard
- The culture: generally there’s a lot more to this event than just getting into the tent and drink. I personally did not manage to experience everything, but below are on the agenda each year: The traditional costume parade on Munich streets: see more here; The music: be ready to sing along. And yes, dancing; The exhibitions, decorations, art, souvenirs, etc. Everything oh-so-German.
I would like to mention that the funfair was fantastic. It was probably the biggest setup of funfair I’ve ever seen in my life. I did not ride anything mainly because I did not feel like I should, provided I had been drinking since 9am and I did not need that much more pressure to puke. But we did walk around the whole fair and I was quite impressed. There were not just rides. There were games, shows, castles, interactive museums, etc. And there’s something for all age group.
“The Oktoberfest”
The ultimate Oktoberfest experience is in Munich, Germany. It is located in Thereisienwiese, a flat area of about 42 hectare in the Munich quarter Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt. It is about 20 minutes walking from the historical center. Tables are booked months in advance, and are usually quite hard to get. If you have no problem booking one, stop reading. If you want to know how to get in as a normal tourist person (like I did), then read on. You need to be prepared. Very well prepared.
How to attend, if you are not lucky enough to be able to book tables in advance
… that means you have to queue and run to get in. And then fight for the table.
- Gate opens at about 8:30am. And the queue starts as early as 5:30am. So, get plenty of sleep, get up early, and head straight there.
- Take a cab or public transport. Don’t even think about driving there as finding parking could be a pain in the a**. Public transport is another option. In Munich, public transport is quite good.
- Now the important part: come up with a plan/strategy. I believe you will want to attend this with a group of friends, and the below steps might be useful.
- Identify the tent you would like to get into and make sure everyone knows where it is located
- Think about where you would like to sit. There are hundreds if not thousands of tables in the hall, so decide which area is ideal for you.
- When the gate is opened, everyone will RUN for their lives to get the nice tables (or any tables really). Identify the fastest runners. You will mostly rely on these runners to get good tables.
- For slower runners, you still need to rush/run there. You can’t secure the table for long if your table is not filled up. People will ask to join you very fast and you can’t really say no.
- Another backup strategy is that every member of your group try to secure a table anywhere in the tent, and once you know that your friend has a better table -> abandon your table and join him/her.
4. Start drinking! You can now celebrate your success.
If you want to attend “The Oktoberfest”, here are some more tips…
- Book your accommodation & transportation early. People all over the world will be having the same idea of attending this ultimate Oktoberfest, and affordable accommodation will be sold out really fast. Apart from hotels, consider AirBnB, hostels, couchsurfing, or reach out to friends. Transportation as well, be sure to book early to get reasonable priced tickets. We were lucky to have friends hosting us and we only had to pay for flights.
- Carry cash, but not too much. Same goes to valuables: limit them to whatever absolute necessary. There’s ATMs around but be aware that if you get out of the tent, you will not be able to get back in without going back in the queue. I did not remember if cards were accepted, but it’s always better to be safe than not able to drink :D.
- For girls: be careful when running, especially if you wear high heels. I saw many girls fall and their asses are displayed in public. You don’t want to be them.
- Get plenty of sleep. Be both physically and emotionally ready to run like your life depends on it and to drink LOTS of beer. Generally, you can order in 1 Maß (1 liter) or half. Although let me warn you — you might be frowned upon if you order a half. Also if you order any other drinks rather than beer. Another tip is: time yourself and don’t drink too fast. When I was there, at 10:00am there was already someone passing out and ambulance came.
- Remember to drink water as well. You don’t want the ambulance to come for YOU.
- Toilet queue will be REALLY long, especially the women’s toilets. Don’t wait until you want to burst.
Will I go the Oktoberfest in Munich again?
Yes & No.
>> No, in the sense that other smaller and less aggressive Oktoberfest is just as fun if you have good company and decent amount of alcohol in your belly. Besides, I don’t really drink beer…
>> Yes, if tables are properly booked in advance and I didn’t have to wake up at 5am.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments xoxo
