Despite what the name of the event might suggest, Oktoberfest is actually held during the last two weeks of September and ends on the first Sunday of October or on October 3rd (whichever comes later). The tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen and has since grown into one of the largest and most elaborate fairs in the world. This year’s Oktoberfest (2017) will be the 184th annual beer celebration with an expected attendance of 5 to 6 million visitors.
What to Wear:
The traditional German outfits (called ‘Tracht’) are worn by many at the Munich Oktoberfest celebration. Men, who are interested in joining the German style clothing trend, can wear Lederhosen and women, Drindl dresses. While these are certainly considered the traditional style for this event, if you’re a tourist choosing to wear jeans you will not be an outsider. Tracht can be ordered online ahead of time or bought at numerous stores in Munich when you arrive, but don’t feel obligated to participate in these fashion trends (unless you want to use them for Halloween costumes later!).
When to Go:
As you might expect, the weekends during Oktoberfest are by far busier than weekdays. The middle of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) are the least busy days to attend. If you intend to go on a weekend, reservations in the tents are highly recommended and sometimes required if you want to be certain you get into a specific tent at a specific time. If you are willing to just go and see what happens, I’d highly recommended showing up at the tents to get in the queue by 7:00am or 8:00am. On Saturdays and Sundays the tents open at 9:00 am, so being at the front of the queue is crucial if you want a table to sit at for the day. Usually by 11:00 am the tents close and no longer allow people to enter due to overcrowding. This also means if you are able to get inside and get a table in the morning, you may not want to leave until you are all done for the day cause chances of re-entering or finding another tent to try is limited.
Beer Tents:
There are 6 different beer tents at Oktoberfest that each serve a different German beer that’s brewed in Munich. The six beer tents are: Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Spatenbräu, Paulaner, and Hofbräu-München. Each tent has different personalities and different songs that are played, so consider looking into which one you might want to try. I visited the latter two on the list and found that the Hofbräu tent is mostly filled with American and other English-speaking foreigners (i.e. lots of students studying abroad in Europe), and they largely play American pop music. Alternatively, the Paulaner tent is a very traditional Bavarian tent filled with mostly locals and primarily traditional German drinking songs. All the tents can be fun, but it depends on what you are looking for. Also note, even kids can go into the beer tents, but children under 6 years old must leave by 8pm.
Other Activities:
Entrance to the fairgrounds and tents is free, but once you sit down at the table you have to pay for all your food, drinks and souvenirs. In general, people go to Oktoberfest for the beer tents, but keep in mind there are numerous other things to do there. They have amusement rides and a Ferris Wheel, as well as outdoor tent games and endless food stalls – it truly can be a family affair. If you’re there for opening day there is a parade through the city and a tapping of the first beer barrel by the Munich mayor. The next day has a traditional costume parade through Munich and a couple days each year (usually on Tuesdays) they have “family day” when the rides and performances cost less. If you want to look at their calendar for 2017 click here.
Oktoberfest is truly a unique experience and an incredible way to meet local Germans as well as other travelers. Any questions you still have on Oktoberfest that we didn’t hit? Let us know in the comments.
XOXO,
Lauren
