Oktoberfest at Last!

Oktoberfest 2014 in Munich, Germany!

Where do we begin?  Oktoberfest exceeded all of our expectations.  It truly is the greatest and one of the biggest parties in the world.  Disney World may claim to be the happiest place on earth, but we have NEVER seen so many happy people in one place as we witnessed during Oktoberfest.  And the beer is, well, “Der Gemutlichkeit”!

Young girls head for the beer tents in their dirndl outfits

We bought a special Bavarian Ticket for traveling on the trains from Augsburg to Munich, a great deal giving us unlimited train and subway access for the whole day. The train from Augsburg to Munich took just 35 minutes, and the festive atmosphere was apparent from the moment we boarded the train.  Most of the travelers were already decked out in the traditional accouterments of the occasion.   People love to dress up for Oktoberfest!  We rode with young girls and older women wearing their “”dirndls”: low-cut dresses with white puffy sleeves, a colorful vest, and a full skirt topped with an apron; also, lots of the guys wore authentic-looking decorative leather lederhosen (short, soft leather pants with suspenders).  Not the kind of get-up most men would be caught dead wearing back in Pennsylvania, but even the “cool guys” are into their traditional heritage here.

Proudly wearing our Oktoberfest garb

Frank had been skeptical (to say the least) when Anne suggested buying some special clothes to wear to Oktoberfest.  She had read that dressing up was all part of the fun, kind of like a big Halloween Party back home (without the masks).  Frank had to admit it really did make the fest even more enjoyable; you are accepted more, and blend in better with the revelers. We did not go for the full dirndl/lederhosen look, but Anne found a Bavarian style blouse for herself and got Frank a blue and white checked shirt.  Checks are big at Oktoberfest and blau und weiss (blue and white), the colors of Bavaria, are a favorite combo.  Red checks are big too.

German youths strut their lederhosen stuff

Our friends on the train wasted no time getting into the festival spirit as they popped open a bottle of champagne and passed out bottles of beer even before the train left the Augsburg station! Seems that anything goes during Oktoberfest, and this crew was getting themselves primed for the main events in Munich.  We could hear cheers and singing from many of the adjacent train cars as we zipped along and got ever closer to our destination.

Frank gets the rhythm of Oktoberfest!

When we arrived at the Munich Hauptbahnhof (main train station), it was a total zoo.  We have never seen this train station this crowded.  But we found our way out to the street, and hiked the short distance to the fairgrounds.  We had originally planned to come to the fest on a quieter Monday, but couldn't wait, so here we were joining the frenzied Sunday crowd.  Actually, once we got into the rhythm of the festival, we became less and less distracted by the masses of partygoers.

The 100 acres of Oktoberfest include beer tents and
amusements

Anne had mapped out the 15-minute walk down to the festival, but all we had to do was follow the dirndl/lederhosen crowd. It is remarkable that the fairgrounds are right in the center of Munich.  We heard the fest before we could see it, and just like that we passed through the gates into over 100 acres of family merriment.

BTW, entrance into Oktoberfest is totally free. All you have to pay for are your food, drink, and any amusements. Speaking of amusements, Oktoberfest is not just about beer – the grounds contain a gigantic amusement park with all kinds of entertainments, especially daredevil thrill rides and rides for the young.  The fest provides for the most amazing people watching.  We loved stepping off to the side and just watching the crowds trundle-on by.

Whole families dress up to enjoy
Oktoberfest together

Oktoberfest is very much a family affair with whole families dressed in traditional clothing taking in the sights and sounds of this fun fair.  In spite of all the drinking, Oktoberfest has a very wholesome feel to it. It’s not at all seedy – nothing like Mardi Gras for instance.  Everyone just seems happy to be here.  It is not about getting skunk-drunk and then puking all night long; in fact, in our whole 2 days here, we only ever saw one person who showed signs of drinking too much.  But even he was not a problem.

"The Wild Pisser" sprays passersby

One of the funniest “amusements” was something called (what we think translates to) “The Wild Pisser.”  We were walking along when we noticed the crowd avoiding what looked like an old wooden outhouse; everyone seemed to be veering away.  Curious, we waited to see what would happen next. Every two minutes, the outhouse door opened up, and, with hand on his pecker, a skeleton swung his “pisser” side-to-side, spraying the crowd with water (we hope!).  We cracked up, and when we got into a good position to take photos, the “bony” bastard squirted us good!  You’d never see this kind of entertainment in America!

Inside the colorful Pschorr beer tent
(Note the band on the raised platform)

The beer drinking takes places inside tents run by all the major brewers of Munich such as Augustiner, Paulaner, Lowenbrau,  and of course, the Hofbrauhaus.  Each tent has a different décor and a distinct atmosphere – some clearly geared to certain age groups.  We had a marvelous time “tent-hopping”, and trying out the different types of beer and food.

Anne gets down with the beer and the "bretzel"

One thing about drinking at Oktoberfest – you have no choice of beer or beer size. You just order ein mass, and, for 10 euros, you get a stein of special Oktoberfest brew.  Sometimes when we first arrived, the waitresses would just plunk down 2 steins without us even having to ask.  Each tent offers its own Oktoberfest beer concoction, but our palates weren't sophisticated enough to tell the difference – it was all good, cold, and refreshing!

Enjoying the ambiance of Oktoberfest

Many of the tables inside the tents are reserved a year ahead of time, and prior to going, we were worried about finding a place to sit (you can only order beer if you are seated).  But luckily many of the reservations were for later in the day, and the staff of waiters was more than happy to guide us to available spots.  These serving folks are the hardest working at the fair – hauling heavy steins and heaving huge trays laden with food all day (and night). And yet they were always pleasant and more than patient with some of the “feeling-no-pain” visitors.  Of course, we only visited during the day; no telling what went on into the wee hours!

Frank and new friend Gunther whooping it up at Oktoberfest

One of our favorite tent was Pschorr-Braurosl, warmly decorated in bright yellow with an outstanding oom pah pah band. These tents are so big – bigger than the largest ballroom we have ever been in – with row after row of 6-person tables (covered with steins!), two balconies, and a raised platform, usually centrally located, housed the band. We ended up at a great 1^st table with a German family: Gunther & Martine with son Stefanos and his girlfriend Christine.  A lively crew who all spoke broken English, while we tried to use our best bad German.

Anne doing her Prost thing with the Barcelonans

The band played German drinking songs almost constantly and every 10 minutes or so, they launched into the familiar “Ein Prosit” refrain that always ends in a toast with every person surrounding you. You clink glasses, say “Prost!” and take a swig.  We wondered if any steins ever get smashed in pieces with all the glass clinking at toast time?

Frank really hit it off with the boys from Venice

We knew we would need some food to handle all this constant toasting, so we started off with one of the giant soft pretzels called “Brezel.” Yummy – crispy outside and so soft & doughy inside.  Gunther also persuaded us to try the roast chicken, a Pschorr tent specialty. Excellent moist, tender whole chicken was what we got for 10 euros.  Later, as we strolled around the tent, we saw the giant roaster spit cooking up 50 chickens or more at a time.  What an experience in logistics to feed this hungry crowd!

Anne feels the music and enjoys the beer

Another highlight of the Pschorr-Braurosl tent was the outstanding music.  This band was phenomenal!  At one point, trumpet players performed from the balconies filling the tent with a haunting melody that made you think of goat herders and snow-covered Alps. Later, guys with whips stood on tables (right in the middle of the partygoers) and snapped their whips in time with the music.  An interesting performance, but we were glad none of “the snappers” stood near us, or on our table!

Although each tent was laid out similarly, the color schemes and decorations (and the crowd) were different. The Augustiner tent was steeped in tradition, decorated in deep green and filled with an older crowd.  The Hacker-Pschorr tent (so many of these brewers are related to each other) had clouds painted all over the ceiling, side walls with painted buildings to look like a turn-of-the century German street, and a banner proclaiming “Hacker-Pschorr, Himmel der Bayern” (meaning Hacker Pschorr, heaven in Bavaria).  Really lovely!

"Der Gemutlichkeit"

Our second day was much like the first except that the crowds were MUCH smaller.  We were really glad that we got to experience both the weekend madness and the calmer weekday face of the fest.  This crowd also seemed to be more international.  We had a blast hanging out at the Lowenbrau tent with a rowdy group of guys from Venezia (Venice) and two couples from Barcelona.  The Italians were really pumped for partying!

Craziness in the Shottenhamel Festhalle

The craziest tent was the Shottenhamel Festhalle which definitely catered to a younger crowd.  You could feel the abundance of testosterone in that tent just looming in the cool September air.  Lots of shouting and standing on tables, while the band played a more contemporary selection of music than the traditional stuff; the young crowd sang along in loud voice, and did some frequent energetic toasts.  So, there’s something for everyone here at Oktoberfest.  Wild, but still all in good fun.

We can’t recommend Oktoberfest enough.  This is truly a “must do” on everyone’s bucket list before you die – especially if you like good beer and a fun party!

More Pics of Oktoberfest:

Stein-covered tables are everywhere

Hardworking servers bring on the food

Heavy loads require a woman's touch

Beautiful exterior of the Hacker tent

"Himmel im Bayern" (heaven in Bavaria!)

We think there's some truth to this!

Oktoberfest madness!