How Oktoberfest in Munich, the most important beer festival in the world, works?
There’s beer.
There are german girls.
Stop.
Let’s speak clear, these are the reasons which attract 90% of the people who goes at Oktoberfest (there’s a reason if I was the only girl on the bus for Munich last year), the other 10% is there for press (journalists, reporters, travel bloggers), inquiring people or tourists who are in Munich by chance. My cousin’s face on the pic is clear enough, isn’t it?
If you’re a single male or a group of male friends, it is exactly the right thing for you, you’ll have fun for sure. Maybe even if you’re a single female, but… it dipendes on your tastes. If you’re a couple, though, you can avoid it. Or anyway… you’ll most probably find friends and will have fun, but it depends on your expectations.
Let’s proceed straightly.
We arrived by bus at 7.30 a.m.. Buses, every bus, will leave you twenty minutes walking from the Theresienwiese, the fair area, that start its activities at 9 a.m, when the Festzelte (stands) will open. Don’t worry for the waiting time, you’ll spend all of it in queue, ’cause at 9 a.m. you’ll find meters of people awaiting in queue to start the biggest fair in the world.
It is easy: choose your favourite brand of beer, look for the stand and get in line. You can choose among: Paulaner, Spaten, Hofbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner and Löwenbräu. There are 14 stands, each one can host from 5 to 10 thousands people. All around there are games, souvenirs’ shops, fast food and sweets’ stands.
If you wanna drink a lot, you’ll have to take with you a lot of money. A beer ‘s jug (1 litre minimum) is sold for about 10 euros. And they only sell beer. You’ll also have breakfast with beer.
Days at Oktoberfest pass inside the stands: drinking, eating, flirting, and listening german music typical of this event, played by bands dressed with the typical bavarian clothes. Also german girls walk around all dressed up.. and I must say, they’re really beautiful.
Oktoberfest is all that’s expected, but not only that: it is THE party. Millions of people partying together as they’re long time friends, above race difference, age, language, politics, religion. Fun and light-heartedness, a treatment that everybody, at least one time a year, should do.
I can give you some advice: if sky threatens rain, keep your seat in the beer stand, ’cause if it starts to rain, the stands won’t allow anyone in, only who’s already in stays warm and dry.
Don’t expect having a table just for yourselves, there’s a whole lot of people, tables are long and first come, first served. You will have to wait for some seats to free up to get yours, next to people you don’t know. If in the meantime you want to drink, the trick is to let one of your group sit down on the first available seat then let him order for everyone, ’cause if you are standing no one will serve you.
Try to taste Bretzel and pork roast with chasseur sauce (Schweinebraten mit Knoedel und Jaegersosse) fair’s most typical thing except for beer.
Hofbräuhaus deserves a separate mention. To me once you get in one of the stands in the morning, Theresienwiese area can be left to come here, in the Munich center, in the most famous and old brewery of the city.
Like the rest of the city, you wull find it packed with people, but less compared to stands, since away from the fair. That’s the first positive part, and the second are prices: cheaper than stands, even by 4 or 5 euros. Things which obviously means eating and drinking more, and that’s not bad.
I felt the real Oktoberfest here. Eating and drinking all togheter, and singing and dancing to Ein prosit, Ein prosit, when the band is not playing, side by side with strangers who’ll become your best friends, even if they speak a language you don’t know a word (even if it’s hard for italian people, of which the city is full)… it become just like a party the reastaurant ’round the corner.
What more should I say?
