Oktoberfest

One of Europe’s best-known traditions is the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany. The event is comprised of 2 1/2 weeks of massive beer consumption, conversing with people from all around the world, and singing in unison to the tunes of traditional Oktoberfest songs. I was lucky enough to attend Oktoberfest 2011 along with some of my best friends and enjoy what it had to offer. This included 3 days of sitting inside the infamous beer tents where most of the action can be found.

View from inside a tent at Oktoberfest

About the Event

All the activities take place at a grassy area in central Munich known as the Theresienwiese. It is used for the Oktoberfest as well as other annual festivals, and is easily accessible by the metro U-Bahn system, which is located nearby.

This year, the event ran from September 17th to October 3rd, during which time attendees from all over were present. Some people, such as myself, came for vacation while others who live and work in Munich took days off to enjoy the festivities with their friends or colleagues.

The highlight of the event is 14 large tents where people go to socialize and enjoy some of the region’s finest beer and food. Beer from each of the main breweries based in the area is offered in the corresponding tents, and is sold in Mass (liter) units, and usually goes for between 8.70 and 9.20 euros per mug. Delicious Bavarian food specialties such as sausages, chicken, duck, turkey, and other dishes are also available at food stands around the Theresienwiese and within the tents themselves. One would do well to enjoy something edible when consuming large quantities of beer at Oktoberfest for obvious reasons. 

Each of the tent’s are large enough to house several thousand people, and often fill up shortly after opening, and remain full until they close at around 11 PM (this may vary depending upon the day and your luck). A few of the most notable include the Paulaner, Augustiner, Hoffbrau, Schottenhamel, Schutzenfest, and Hacker tents (I won’t both going over the proper pronunciation for each of these as learning them when you are there is part of the fun). I had the good fortune of being able to go with friends to each the Hoffbrau, Augustiner, and Schottenhammel tents.

View of Hoffbrau Tent from Inside

People and Music

Typically when one thinks of Oktoberfest one thinks of tall blond haired men in Lederhosen and beautiful, buxom women in Dirndl’s. (traditional Bavarian dresses). While this rings true to a degree, the event has become so well known around the world that today one sees not only a great deal of German’s from all over the country converging to enjoy the tradition, but also a great many expatriates from other countries dressed in traditional Bavarian garb and ready to fully embrace the spirit of Oktoberfest.

The people are certainly what make the event so special, but it wouldn’t be complete without the music. This is played by live bands and comes in the form of classic German Oktoberfest songs and classic American hits such as Summer of 69, and others. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself arm in arm with people you’ve just met, swaying back and forth to the sound of such tunes.

Oktoberfest Band

While most Germans today speak excellent English, there is no guarantee you won’t be attempting to communicate with someone in another language against the noise of the crowd in an effort to express yourself. So it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few commons phrases auf Deutsch to make this easier and to show you’re making an effort to fit into the culture.

I had the good fortune of going to the tents with German and Spanish friends, and interacting with people not only from those countries, but also from others such as Italy, Portugal, Brazil, and Colombia…and I wasn’t even putting any effort into networking!

My experience at Oktoberfest 2011

I went to Oktoberfest on 3 different days: Thursday and Friday, the 29th and 30th of September, and Saturday the 1st of October.

Thursday was the most relaxed day, as it was a weekday, and getting and finding a table where we could sit was no problem. I enjoyed the Hoffbrau tent along with my German and Spanish friends, Adi and Clara, the latter of which was there with her colleagues from BMW. I intentionally kept the beer consumption to a minimal knowing that there was more to come, but still was able to indulge in a tall glass of beer in good company. It was a good start.

Germany, Spain, America all together

Friday, being the first day of the weekend before the end of Oktoberfest, was a little more crowded. However, it was still manageable and I got to sit at a table with people from 3 different countries in the Paulaner tent. We managed to score a table with a reserved sign, which was somehow left blank! I also ate the best potato salad of my life in this tent.

Brazilian friends in Hoffbrau tent

Spanish friends in Hoffbrau tent

Finally on Saturday, I was able to meet up with a group of Spanish friends who I’d not seen for some time. Knowing this would be one of the most crowded days at Oktoberfest, we started early with a breakfast of Weisswurst (White German Sausage) and half mass beers at the Lowenbrau Keller, one of the primary breweries in Munich. I enjoyed a breakfast of Kaesspaetzle, which I like to describe as a Bavarian version of Macaroni and cheese, along with a salad and a coffee. (Since I was a vegetarian and not accustomed to consuming alcoholic beverages so early in the day I had to pass on the sausage and beer breakfast). After spending hours of wandering the Theresienwiese and a couple hours in one of the beer garden’s at dusk we finally got ourselves a nice table near the entryway in the Schottenhammel tent. From here we enjoyed what I’d like to think is the pinnacle of Oktoberfest; the most reputable tent for a great time with good friends, fun music, and tasty beer…I highly recommend trying it if you ever get the chance! ☺