Must-Do #1: Oktoberfest

November 7, 2007 Journey & Jet Setting No Comments

In honor of another October coming to an end and for all of those who are in need of some cultural inspiration, I would like to take this moment to praise one of the world’s glorious traditions: Oktoberfest.

If you are not already aware of this fabulous occurrence, please allow me to enlighten you. Oktoberfest is a 17 or 18 day annual festival covering the last few weeks in September and the first week of October which takes place in Munich, Germany. There are usually 6 million people in attendance, making this one of the biggest festivals in the world. If you are new to this phenomenon, you may be wondering at this point why 6 million people migrate from all over the world to attend this traditional German event?

Let me tell you why. I was fortunate enough to go to Oktoberfest when I was studying abroad in Florence in 2005 and it was literally one of the best weekends of my life. (Side note- if you are planning on going abroad next fall, I cannot stress to you the importance of including this on your agenda).

Picture this: a ginormous (yes, this is now a real word) tent filled with rows and rows of long picnic-style tables. You can’t see one square-inch of these tables however because they are covered with thousands of people dancing on them. Now picture each of these people absolutely inebriated, singing in German, and swinging huge steins back and forth, beer flying everywhere…more like sloshing everywhere. What is everyone dancing to? Well, naturally, the band in the middle of the tent.

Now imagine that you stumble outside this tent–somehow, after miraculously pushing your way through crowds of drunk people in lederhosens–and all around you are 20 other tents just like the one you were in. Not only are there tents however, there is also a plethora of rides, games, booths, pretzel stands, you name it. Seriously, to any beer/drinking enthusiast…or any college kid..or any human being in their right mind.. this is heaven.

You know the Germans are onto something when they begin each Oktoberfest with an official keg tapping by the Mayor of Munich himself. Oh yes, this is a fact. If you know any German saying, know this: “O’zapft is!” meaning “It’s Tapped!” Very authentic indeed.

If you are intrigued by my knowledge of the authenticity of Oktoberfest, don’t be. You can find all of this on Wikipedia. What did I learn from my experience at Oktoberfest? Allow me to rephrase that… “What did I remember…” Several things: the beer, the food, the crowd, and the singing.

The Beer - They have this special beer brewed which is stronger and darker. It is delicious. You must drink this in steins (Side Note- someone in your group will without-a-doubt chip their tooth/teeth on their stein. Consider yourself warned). There is no cost to enter Oktoberfest, so you will be able to spend all your money on the beer..and food. I believe the beers are a little less than 8 Euro (for 2 pints)…you can do the math at your own risk.

The Food - You can order food inside any of the tents, but I would not recommend this. That can be a little pricey and you don’t want to have to be sitting and waiting for food when you can be dancing on the tables. The better option is to hit up all the food carts outside. These consist of a lot of sausage, brotworst, German-style pretzels, fries… all delicious. When you wake up in the morning and the roof of your mouth is burnt, don’t be alarmed. It is probably because you dove too quickly into those fries the night before… it’s ok, it happens to the best of us.

The Crowd - The crowd is what makes this such a joyous occasion. Obviously there will be people from all over. From the masses amounts of Europeans, to every last American college kid studying abroad, to the occasional Munich elementary school field trip (I kid you not..they were in a single-file line and all), Oktoberfest really does bring out the best in everyone. Of course Americans may get thrown the typical slanderous comment mocking how we can’t hold our alcohol or, and I quote, “Wow, you guys are the first non-fat Americans we’ve ever seen.” –Two Random Scottish Guys. Don’t take it personally though. Just try to appreciate the beauty of the situation: People from all around the world conglomerate together to get drunk.

The Singing - There are only two songs I really remember being sung over and over in the tents. One I think was the German national anthem or something. I can’t really recall… The other however, will remain in your head for months. It has the chorus of that ‘Hey! Baby” song by Bruce Channel–you know, the one they play in Dirty Dancing. K, so get that in your head, and then add these words to it: “Heyyyy, hey baby–Ooo Aahh– I wanna know- Oh oh oh oh oh oh –Won’t you be my Girl– (then they count to 8 in German) Null, eins, zwei, drei, vier, funf, sechs, sieben, acht..” Then the song repeats…over and over and over again. Don’t believe me?

Alright, if you aren’t convinced yet, I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m sure most of you are already planning your trip for next year at this point however, in which case, be sure to remember the following: (1) Book your hostel reservations early, otherwise you’ll be forced to post up at some overpriced hotel where they won’t let you fit 8 people in a 3 person room (rude..). (2) Buy your apparel in advance. (3) While all the tents serve the same purpose, the best one (in my opinion) is the Hofbrau House. You won’t be disappointed. (4) Use the buddy system. Things can get kindof crazy.

Well, now that we’ve reconciled with the end of another October… on to November!