The Oktoberfest in Munich is the biggest beer festival in the world and something everybody who has the chance should at least visit once in a lifetime.
It is the role model of all beer festivals in the world, where it is copied many times all around the globe. But the one and only original one takes place in Munich, on the “Theresienwiese” (meadow of Theresia), which gives it the local name of “Wiesn”. During 16 days, in between of mid September and beginning of October, over 6 million people visit the Oktoberfest every year. It has an old history and was already celebrated in the 19thcentury.
Today it consists of many attractions, rides and food stands with tons of traditional food. But what most people come here for are the 14 big beer tents which can each hold in between of 3000 and more than 8000 people. Each famous Bavarian brewery has its own tent where it sells its beer and various foods and invites people to dance on the music of a life band.
If you want to visit the Oktoberfest make sure to wear a Dirndl (a traditional Bavarian dress for women) or Lederhosen (the leather pants typical Bavarian style for men). Especially in the tents there are hardly any people not wearing them, and also it is a quiet big part of the experience, so if you don’t want to buy any yourself (they are often quite expensive) try to borrow it somehow.
Even if they are so many tents which can hold so many people, to get into a tent is sometimes a big challenge. There are ways to reserve a table in advance, but most of the time you have to be very early and lucky to get one, as they are always sold out pretty quick. If you don’t have a reservation your only chance to get inside is to stand in line. And at Oktoberfest that means you have to stand in front of the tent at 6 o’clock in the morning, and already then there will be 200 people standing in front of you. At least that’s how it is on the weekends, during the week it is a lot less busy.
A way to avoid standing in line too long or too early is the back entrance. Even if already at 10 in the morning there is a sign over the tent saying “closed because of overfilling”, they often still let people in into the back entrances. You might have to wait a while and be really nice to the security people, but we for example only waited for about 15 minutes and then got into the tent (and that in the middle of the day and on the busiest Saturday of the Oktoberfest). For everybody who doesn’t want to wait in line or enter the tents there are also a lot of nice beer gardens, where you can sit down and enjoy your beer in the sun.
Inside the tent the next challenge is to find a table. There are the reserved tables, where every two hours a new group of people come, and there are the not reserved tables where you can (in case you find a free spot) just take a seat and stay as long as you want. Take a seat might not be the right thing to say in this case though, because at the Oktoberfest nobody sits for a long time. As soon as the music sounds, everybody gets up on the benches and tables and starts dancing.
Of course the most “important” part of this festival is the beer. And this comes here in 1 Liter, called “Maß”. So you better bring a lot of thirst, and even more important, a lot of money, because the prices in the tents are very very high. One beer costs already more than 10€. Also the food that you can consume in the tent is expensive, but as I have to say, very delicious. You get all the typical Bavarian food, from Brezen and Weißwurst, over Knödel and Schweinshaxe to Spätzle and Sauerkraut.. very tasty and worth to try (although maybe not all at Oktoberfest otherwise you will be very poor very quickly)!
A day at the Oktoberfest ends at 11pm and goes by really quick. It is so much fun to dance on the benches, singing, drinking beer and meeting people from all around the world!
I advice everybody to visit the Oktoberfest, because it is just something you have to see and experience yourself. But count in some more pocket money than at a normal festival and be ready to stand at least for a little while in line somewhere.
Otherwise I can just say: Prost and enjoy!
