Beginning as a royal wedding celebration for King Ludwig in 1810, Oktoberfest, locally called Wiesn, has now become an international benchmark for beer festivals. People come from all around the world to join in the German celebration. This year’s Oktoberfest runs September 17 through October 3, so if you’re heading to Munich, here are a few tips to enjoy Wiesn like a true Bavarian:
STEP 1: DRESSING THE PART
If you are going to Oktoberfest, you need to dress the part. There are many stores in Munich’s City Center (Marienplatz) where you can purchase or rent authentic lederhosen for guys or a dirndl for the ladies. If you are not in traditional clothing, you will be out of place! Even the locals get dressed up!
Ladies, let me tell you the outfits are the best part! There are so many options and accessories to choose from like different colored ribbons and styled chains to lace up the dirndl, flower hair accessories and headbands, and so many different kinds of fabric patterns. The best thing to do is find someone who works at the store and have her help you. They know what to do and can get you properly fitted.
Tip: You’ll be dancing on tables all night, so I usually bring athletic shorts to wear under my dress.
STEP 2: GETTING TO THE FESTIVAL
The subway has a stop right at the Oktoberfest fairgrounds so it is really easy and inexpensive to get to. When you walk into the festival grounds, there is so much to take in - lots of carnival rides, food vendors, little shops, and of course the beer tents. There is no entrance fee to get in, you’ll just pay for food, drinks and rides. Things aren’t as expensive as I thought they’d be. A beer stein (which is actually called a mas, not a stein) is 10€ ($13), which, considering the mas holds a liter of beer, is a pretty good deal. I’m not a big beer drinker myself, so I got a radler or rußn (ru-ssen) which is like a shandy — beer with lemonade or sprite.
Tip: The festival is not allowing large bags or backpacks into the festival, so plan accordingly.
STEP 3: PICKING A TENT
I had a few friends who had been before and they kept talking about the beer tents. I’m not sure about you, but when I thought of tents, I pictured large event tents. These beer tents are not tents at all. They are massively large buildings that hold a few thousand people each. Each tent is a different brewery so to get the full experience be sure to go to different tents on different days. There are no options for the kind of beer you’ll be drinking; they all serve their own Oktoberfest brew.
Tip: You will be drinking all day, so make sure to eat food and drink water in the mix. And yes, you can get kicked out of Oktoberfest for being too intoxicated and falling off tables. We saw it happen!
STEP 4: ARRIVAL TIME
The tents open around 9-10AM so the best thing is to get there right when they open to be able to get a table and seats. You can get there later but it will be harder to find a space and you’ll have to schmooze your way to get a seat at a table. You can only be served for food and drinks if you are at a table, so you can’t just go in and hang out like a regular bar scene. The one thing that is nice is that as the crowds filter in and out, you’ll be sharing the table and talking with different people from around the world. And, there is a different atmosphere of Oktoberfest from the day to the night, as you can imagine, so be sure to enjoy the festival both during the day and at night.
One thing that was crazy was people standing on the tables to chug their entire liter of beer. It’s all fun and games at the beginning since the whole tent will be cheering you on, but be careful because if you do not finish the entire beer, the crowd will boo and throw pieces of pretzel at you! (No, I did not try to chug the beer. Way too intimidating!)
A Tip from a Bavarian: Practice with milk. Why? He says because if you can chug a liter of milk, you can chug a liter of anything.
STEP 5: SING-A-LONG
There are also so many fun songs to sing! And you’d be surprised at the American ones that make the list. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a hit at Oktoberfest and everyone knows the words— except me apparently. “Ein Prosit” is the number one song at Oktoberfest where conversations will stop to sing along. During the song you sway and swing your beer left and right with the entire tent. After the song is done, there is a countdown for everyone have a cheers and a sip of beer!
If you like to sing, drink and be social. Oktoberfest is your place!
OPTIONAL: GET OUT OF MUNICH
If you’re looking to head outside of Munich for a day, Neuschwanstein Castle could be a good option. Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle. You can take a tour group from Munich to the Castle if you prefer, but we took a scenic 2-hour train ride. From there it was a 5-10 minute bus or cab ride to the base of the Castle.
Other Short-Distance Getaways are: Heidelberg, Germany, Salzburg, Austria; or Innsbruck, Austria.
Where to next? Follow Elizabeth’s travels at www.elizabethraflowitz.com, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat!