Oktoberfest Survival Tips

Greetings Beer & Travel Lovers!
Last month we introduced An American Woman in Deutschland.  This month we look ahead to the granddaddy of all Oktoberfests and offer a few tips for surviving a night in the tents.

Oktoberfest Munich 2017
It’s only June, so why are we talking about Oktoberfest already?  Because if you’re going, it’s time to start thinking about your trip as you’ll be visiting Munich at the same time 6 – 7 million other people make their way to the Theresienwiese to celebrate Oktoberfest!
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History:  Oktoberfest dates back to October 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen at the site of today’s event.  The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the old city gates, and were entertained with horse racing, food, beer, and wine.  The celebration was so successful that Ludwig decided to make it into an annual event.

Today, Oktoberfest traditionally starts on the third Saturday of September and ends on or shortly after the first Sunday of October.  The Oktoberfest grounds, called Theresienwiese, or "Theresa's Meadow" gets its name from the Princess, but today most locals simply refer to it as the Wiesn (“vee-zin”).

Assorted Facts:

• This year will be the 184th Oktoberfest event.
• It starts at Noon on Saturday, Sept. 16th and ends at 11:00PM on Tuesday, Oct. 3rd
• Only the six breweries physically located within Munich city limits are allowed to participate:

1. Augustiner
2. Hacker Pschorr
3. Hofbräu
4. Löwenbräu
5. Paulaner
6. Spaten

• There will be 14 large tents plus 20 small tents with a combined seating capacity of about 100,000.  Info on the big tents can be found here.
• There’s a very large, family-friendly carnival ride area adjacent to the beer tent area that's fun for people of all ages.
• The tents aren’t really “tents”.  They’re temporary wooden/steel structures that are erected each year, and then dismantled after the event.
• The Schottenhamel tent is one of the largest with a combined (inside and out) seating capacity of 10,000.  
• The Schottenhamel is also where Oktoberfest officially kicks off when the mayor of Munich taps the first keg on opening day and yells “O’zapft is!  Auf eine friedliche Wiesn!” (It is tapped!  To a peaceful Oktoberfest!).
• 6 to 7 million attendees will drink close to 7 million liters of beer. 
• Drinking 1 liter of Oktoberfest beer is roughly equivalent to drinking 3.5 twelve-ounce American Budweisers.

Imagine being in a tent with thousands of other people, each feeling absolutely no pain, who are standing on their benches with their Maß in the air singing “Take Me Home Country Road” along with the “oompah” band.  It’s impossible to not have a crazy fun time... it’s also pretty easy to have too good of a time!

​​For those of you who may be interested, Oktoberfest attracts its fair share of celebrities.  Past years’ attendees include Katy Perry, Richard Branson, Usain Bolt, Samuel L. Jackson, Paris Hilton, assorted Kardashians, and a regular favorite, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  In case you’re hoping to catch a glimpse, they tend to hang out in the Hippodrome and Winzerer Fähndl tents.

Speaking of California’s former “Governator”, Arnie knows how to have a good time.  Last year, the police stopped him for “weaving” his bike thru the Munich train station.  According to the police, Schwarzenegger accepted the warning but explained, "that he couldn't walk well"!

​Oktoberfest Basics
It’s worth repeating that if you’re going to Oktoberfest this year, it’s important to get your plans sorted out soon, particularly if you have large group of people.  Other than that, here are some tips for enjoying and surviving a day/evening at Oktoberfest.

Getting into the Tents:

• In general, and regardless of the size of your group, the best times to find an open table are at 10:00 in the morning (when they open) or around mid-afternoon when some of the saturated early birds start spilling out, and before the evening crowd arrives.  The main problem with going early is that it’s a challenge to make it through the evening when the wildest partying happens.
• Another general rule is that going on a weekday is always easier than on weekends.  On weekends many tents filled up before 11:00am, but during the week seating is usually available at least until mid-afternoon. 
• One or Two People?  You shouldn’t have too much difficulty with one of the following approaches:

1. Get in line outside the tent an hour or so before the doors open and simply grab a few spots at a table.  At least one of you will have to remain at the table at all times to keep your spot.
2. Option B:  Go into any tent that’s open.  If you find a table with space just ask if you can join the table.
3. Option C:  If all the tables are pretty full, find one that’s less full and offer to buy a couple liters if they let you join the table.  This trick usually works.

• Three to Four People?  The same options apply, but for options B and C, you’ll probably spend more time finding a table that can accommodate you.
• Large Group?  For larger groups, you basically have two options:

1. As above, get in line early (a couple hours before the doors open) and stake out your table.  I recommend having at least half of your party get in line to hold the table, and have the rest show up soon thereafter.
2. Go thru a ticket broker and buy a reservation.  The downsides to this are the cost, and the fact that you may have to reserve a whole table (for 8-10 people) even if you don’t have that many people.  But for 6 to 10 people, buying a reservation is probably the best approach.  You can minimize the cost if you’re not too picky about which tent you want to go into, and it will also make your visit a lot less stressful.

• Ticket Brokers.  An online search will come up with several ticket brokers pitching Oktoberfest reservations/tickets.  I can’t vouch for the legitimacy of any of them except that I used Tab TicketBroker 4 years ago and can say they delivered as promised.

Other Suggestions & Survival Tips:

• Have fun but pace yourself.  This will get increasingly difficult as the day/night goes on, but doing so will help you avoid doing things you may regret.
• Unless you want to spend a lot of money on a real Bavarian outfit (lederhosen, dirndl, shirts, shoes, etc.) resist the temptation to buy one of the cheap imitations.  No matter how hard you try, Bavarians will be able to spot you a mile away.
• If possible, find a hotel within walking distance of the Theresienwiese.  There’s a U-Bahn station just outside the fair grounds, but if drunk it can be difficult to navigate the metro system, especially if you have to make a transfer along the way.  Just ask any of the people you’ll see littered around the stations at the end of a night.
• Bring as few items as possible because you may lose them.  If possible, limit what you bring to things that can fit in your pockets or wrap around your waist.
• For a little “insurance”, I bring a business card from my hotel with a €20 note wrapped around it.  I’ve never had to use it, but worst case you can simply hand the card and money to a taxi driver and you’ll have a better chance of getting back safely.
• For a great view of the Oktoberfest grounds, make your up way to the Statue of Bavaria.  There’s a great view from the base of the statue and an even better view from the top.

Broaden Your Oktoberfest Experience
Tent Owners and Breweries Parade:
Starting at 10:45am on the first day of Oktoberfest, the tent owners and breweries conduct a parade that winds its way through Munich and into the Theresienwiese to officially kick-off the celebration.  It’s free and I highly recommend it.  Just find a spot along the parade route and enjoy the spectacle. 

​The Traditional Costume Parade:
The traditional costume parade happens on the second day, starting at 10:00am.  To me this isn’t as fun as the tent owners and breweries parade, but it’s certainly worth checking out if this type of thing interests or if you’re staying near the parade route.

Original Gravity Tours
If you’re able to join one of our Munich & Bamberg Tours this summer, you may not attend Oktoberfest, but we should be able to get a taste of it at one of the many Munich beer halls and gardens.  We’ll also introduce you to the the Munich “Big 6” breweries along with a few up-and-coming craft breweries. 

We hope you enjoyed this blog post and as always, thank you and Prost!