This post is long overdue, but one of the most fun trips I have been on, so I wanted to make sure I could share that with all of you! This past year, I turned 30. I got to spend my 30th birthday at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. It was a bucket list trip, but after going once, I know with certainty, I will go back in the future. If you can plan to visit this at least once in your life, I highly recommend it. It was SO fun, and I am already thinking about my next trip back! Munich was one of the many stops on our Germany tour (but more on that in another post!)

What Is Oktoberfest:

Oktoberfest is one of the world’s largest fairs and one of the most famous events known all over the year. Over 6 million people attend every year to help celebrate one of the most important parts of the Bavarian culture. Oktoberfest began as a wedding for the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese in October. The wedding was celebrated with multiple days of drinking, eating, and horse races, which is what lead to the celebration that we now have annually in Munich.

When Is Oktoberfest:

Oktoberfest usually runs from the middle of September until the early part of October. This year, Oktoberfest runs September 19th – October 4th, 2020. Oktoberfest is obviously celebrated with A LOT of beer, but there is also food, carnival rides, music, and so much more.

What to Wear:

If you are planning to visit Oktoberfest, it is important to remember you MUST wear traditional clothes at Oktoberfest. While it’s not required, you will look totally out of place if you’re not wearing them. I’m not talking about the Party City costumes you can purchase (believe me, you’ll stand out if you do) but an actual authentic German outfit. Women usually wear dirndls and men wear lederhosen. Definitely buy your outfits before you arrive. There will be street vendors selling these outfits, but it’s much cheaper to buy locally before you arrive. Remember if you are wearing a dirndl, there is a specific way to tie your ribbon on your apron- right is for taken, left is for single, and back is for widow. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. You will likely be at Oktoberfest from the time it opens until late in the day, so make sure you find something comfortable and that looks good with your outfit. If you plan to bring a back with you, bring something that is small and only carry what you will really need- CASH (since the tents don’t take cards) a battery charger in case you are taking tons of photos/videos and your battery dies, hand sanitizer (because I take that everywhere), and chapstick/lip balm. You don’t want to carry anything heavy, so having a light bag is the way to go.

Where to Stay:

When we booked our trip through Germany, we decided to stay 2 nights in Munich. We knew the hotels would be more expensive during Oktoberfest, so our time in the city was limited. We picked a hotel in city center, located really close to the train station and within walking distance to the festival. It was a great location making it easy to get around the city from our hotel. You can get to the festival by train, bus, or walking. Walking to the festival takes about 10 minutes from the train station (which was right near our hotel) and is super easy to get to. Definitely make sure to book your hotel far in advance. We booked our hotel about 6 months before we traveled, and even then, the rooms were almost sold out for our dates during Oktoberfest. You can also plan to stay outside the city if you want to save money, but we wanted to be near everything and to be able to walk to Oktoberfest, which is why we booked right in the middle of the city.

What to Expect:

When visiting Oktoberfest, it worked out that my birthday fell during the week. I had read that this was already the best time to visit the festival in order to avoid the crowds, so it worked out we could visit during the middle of the week and planned our trip around our dates at Oktoberfest. Visiting during the week and first thing in the morning when it opens helps you easily get a spot at tables during the day/early evening. If you are a smaller group (there were only 2 of us) that helps too. Definitely get to the festival as soon as the tents open so that way you can get to the tent of your choice first. Oktoberfest now has an official app that you can download and it will tell you the crowd levels and if any of the tents are nearing capacity.

If you are traveling in large groups, definitely make a reservation for a table inside a tent. Know that you need to do this FAR in advance. We didn’t make reservations because we went early during the day and in the middle of the week, but if you plan to go on a weekend or the evening during the week, think about getting one. You will have to pay for spots, so it can be pricey, but so worth it since it guarantees you a seat at the table. Know you will sit with other people and don’t be afraid of that! That’s part of the Oktoberfest charm.

When you are inside the tent and sitting at the table, remember there are some “rules” to follow. Don’t be the person to stand up on the table. If you do, you will have to chug your beer. If you don’t chug your beer, you’ll get booed, and in some tents, they’ll kick you out entirely for even standing up in the first place. You can also find bathrooms in each tent. Every bathroom I went into was very clean. I was super impressed by how well the conditions were. Since I was at Oktoberfest on a Wednesday, I never waited very long for the bathroom, but know the lines can get long in the evening or on the weekends. There are bathrooms outside the tents that are also very clean with no lines.

Each tent is decorated differently and known for a different atmosphere with different types of food. Hofbräu is one of the most popular tents. It is known for its tourists and plays American music. There are a total of 14 major tents and include:

Augustiner Festhalle- Beer from wooden barrels, own butcher’s shop

Armbrustschutzenzelt (Paulaner)

Festzelt Tradition-

Fischer-Vroni- The Fish Tent (stay away from this one if you don’t like fish or fishy smells)

Hacker-Festzelt

Lowenbrau- One of my favorites. The band played “Sweet Caroline” and it was so fun to watch all these people from all over the world singing it.

Beer is served in one liter glasses. These glasses are HUGE and really heavy. The proper way to hold the glass is with one arm, but sometimes my arms got tired and would hold with two (lol). Some of the beer maids (waitresses) would hold up to 12 at one time and I thought that was a true talent! They are so heavy and they do it so effortlessly. I even read that they attend a special school to train for their stamina and weights when carrying all of those beers during Oktoberfest. Careful when you drink those liters of beer though and pace yourself. Don’t become a “beer corpse!” A Beer Corpse is someone that has to be wheeled out of the festival in a coffin-like container for drinking too much. Pace yourself and make sure to eat and you’ll be fine!

If you prefer wine to beer, there is a “Radler” which is a mixture of beer and lemonade that you can purchase at some of the tents. There is actually a wide tent called Weinzelt and serves many different types of wine.

If you’re looking for more than just beer during Oktoberfest, you can still have a fun time! Entrance to the festival is free, but the festival grounds have games, rides, and food stands for a small cost that you can take part in. You can also walk through the tents even if you don’t plan to sit down for a drink just to see what each tent is like. You will also see Wiesenherzen (gingerbread hearts) all around the festival. They all have different sayings. I have heard they don’t taste very good, so I never ate mine and still have it hanging in my house. (They are wrapped)

Make sure to check out the horses bringing in the beer kegs! These horses coming out daily around noon and they are so beautiful and the carts are so fun to see. The kegs are decorated with hops and flowers and they are so pretty!

 

 

Safety of Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a safe event. There are major security precautions and you will see tons of police walking around. Police officers also check your bags when you walk into the festival and the festival grounds are secluded with cement blocks to prevent any major vehicles from getting too close.

We only had 2 days in Munich to attend Oktoberfest, so I really do wish I had more time to have seen all that the city has to offer. If you plan to come for Oktoberfest, make sure to plan some time so that way you can see Munich outside of Oktoberfest!

PROST  a new decade of my life and the best way to start off my 30’s. If you can visit Oktoberfest in the future, I definitely recommend it. If you need help planning your future trip, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly