Oktoberfest: 9 Days and Counting!!!

Hello Everyone!

Okoberfest is only 9 days away! 9 short, little days until you’re singing with the locals, drinking maß after maß of delicious Bavarian beer as you chow down on all the goodies! The Oktoberfest takes place at the Theresienweisen and is a mix of beer tents, carnival rides, games and food stands. Now, if you’re planning on getting into the tents, I suggest getting there to wait in line at around 10am or so as doors open at 11am. Some people get there even earlier, but it’s up to you. Depending on the tent, you could wait anywhere in line from 0 mins to 1.5 hours! Of course, unless you get there right when the doors open, you will spend some time searching for a table to sit down. Feel free to ask people if you can share their table with them, but be prepared to search! Each year there is a different “hot spot” tent, which is usually decided by how many celebrities etc. spend their day there, so it’s pretty random. There are also outdoor beer gardens as well, which may not be in the center of the action, but they’re still a lot of fun!

Let’s talk about money. The Oktoberfest is an expensive place. A maß of beer will run you 8-10€, I believe they’ve raised it to 10€ this year. You of course, can order food which usually consists of hearty Bavarian food. The menus are also in English, so don’t worry about asking for translations! A meal can cost you about 7€, which isn’t too bad. I’d say to be prepared to drink about .5 – 1 maß per hour. Of course, the more you drink, the more you’ll slow down. Food. If you’re spending the day there, you can of course chow down on the enormous pretzels or get a few meals, so make sure you budget for that. Of course, there are ATMs around, more specifically near the train station, where you can get out cash in a hurry. If your entire party leaves your spot at the tables, you can pretty much bank on that they will not be there when you get back. Even if you ask someone to save it etc. So, I’d say, one person runs out to get cash etc.

If you’re planning on having a little fun on the carnival rides, I would hope that you will have enough common sense not to go on them after you’ve had 5 maß and 2 half chickens. The rides really are fun, so you might want to spend an afternoon on them before you go off in search of a table. My personal favorite is a ride that is over 100 years old called the Circle of Death. It’s an interactive ride/show that costs a couple of Euros to get in, but you can stay as long as you want. There’s a huge circular disk in the middle of the room. The disk spins and usually throws half of the group off automatically. The rest must fight to stay on as well as dodge obstacles such as ropes and balls being thrown at them. The  MC calls out a group to jump on, such as women 18-30 or children etc. It’s awesome and really fun to watch! Last year there was this one woman who they just couldn’t get off. It was actually quite annoying because it got pretty boring to watch this one woman who has probably gotten on this ride every year since she was 4. The crowd cheered so hard when they finally threw her off. Thank goodness.

Girls! Make sure you wear shorts under your dirndl if you’re going on rides. Trust me. You don’t want pictures of your grannie panties showing up all over Facebook!

Here’s a short check list to make sure that you’ve got all of your ducks in a row:

– Booked your hostel/hotel

– Bought/have plans to buy your Dirndl or Lederhosen

– Saved up enough money for the Fest

– Have a camera as well as a protective case

– Getting good and excited!

Enjoy!