Beginner’s Guide: The Munich Beer Festival (Oktoberfest)
Photo by: Every year millions of beer fans travel to the Munich Beer Festival (often known as “Oktoberfest” or “the Bavarian Beer Festival“) to sample the Bavarian beer.
It’s the world’s biggest fare with approximately six million visitors a year, the first “Oktoberfest” began way back on October the 18th 1810 yet still today it’s an important part of Bavarian culture.
This years festival promises to live up to all the excitement and festivities of the previous years. If you want to catch the official opening ceremony then head to the Schottenamel tent at 12pm where the lord mayor of Munich will be tapping the opening keg of the festival.
- This year the festivities began on the 19th of September and entry is free.
-The festival runs until the 4th of October, for more details you can check out the official Oktoberfest website.
Here are our tips for beginners surviving the Oktoberfest:
Just One More “Mass”
Photo by: a4gpa
Take it easy on the beer and know your limits. The Bavarian golden beer is only served in one litre glasses (known as a “Mass”) and costs between 8,30€ and 8,60€. There’s no rush, pace yourself as there’s nothing worse than peaking too early at the Oktoberfest. Consider drinking water at regular intervals during the day to keep yourself hydrated.
Dodge The Crowds
So it’s not that easy to dodge the crowds at a beer festival but as you’d expect you’ll find the weekend’s busier than the weekdays. If you plan on getting a seat in a tent, you better get there early.
Eating is Definitely Not Cheating
Boozing all day on giant 1 litre beers may sound like fun, but you’ll soon feel the effects. This is why you should try sampling the wonderful Bavarian delicacies. Why not try a wurstel platter consisting of brawurst, spicy red bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad?
Don’t want to share the platter? Try some Hendl (chicken) or Haxn (knuckle of pork). If that doesn’t sound like your thing you could go for something more extravagant like suckling pig roasted in beer. Or try grabbing a festival favourite in the form of a giant pizza sized pretzel (Brez’n).
Get Served Quickly
Start off early with a nice tip for the waitress to guarantee good service through out the day. It’s likely you’ll have to tip several times for this ploy to last throughout the day.
Photo by: Easy Rider
If you’ve just had a gutful of Bavarian beer then it’s probably not the greatest idea to hit the fun fare rides at Oktoberfest, that is unless you want to see the bratwurst and sauerkraut you had for lunch. The Oktoberfest features a many of rides ranging from the tame carousels for the kids and cowards to the hair-raising chairoplane and impressive Ferris Wheel for the more adventurous.
Get There Early
Make sure you get there in the morning otherwise you may not get into one of the tents as they tend to fill up extremely quickly. You can reserve tables via the official site if you are early enough.
Don’t Rely On Credit Cards
Make sure you bring enough cash along with you as many of the halls/tents will not accept credit cards and you’ll also need some change in order to give a tip.
Know Where You Are and Where You’re Going
Make sure you have a decent grasp of the layout of the festival and a map to hand. If you get lost when drunk you could end up wandering the festival in a drunken haze searching for friends, take a mobile phone to prevent this.
Make a note of your hotel, campsite or hostel and have a route home planned. Getting home after a few 1 litre Bavarian beers can seem a lot more difficult than it really should.
Oktoberfest is a highlight in the world festival calendar and has some great food, beer and entertainment on offer. Take a brief mental note of our tips and you should have a stress-free and amazing festival experience.
Have you been to The Munich Beer Festival? Do you have any great tips to share? Let us know in the comments.
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thought of a couple other things….
on the last day, the tent’s don’t close their doors throughout the day, so you can come and go as you please, rather than having to wait in line for hours and hours.
i basically paid 10 euro per mass, it’s a pretty decent tip and no need to worry about dealing with change.
the busiest tent is hofbrau and rumour is that it gets pretty rowdy. i was at the lowenbrau and it was packed too. all the tents have themes.
Hi Erin,
Thanks for your comment, sounds like good advice to me. 10€ a beer sounds reasonable for a litre!
Good tip for the last day too.
Thanks,
Paul @
TravMonkey.com
Hey Paul,
even though I live in Munich right now I’m not sure if I’ll go this year. Personally I think it’s way overprized. Many bavarians tend to prefer the little fares in towns around Munich in the runup to the Oktoberfest. There’s more of a family atmosphere, less and a Mass only costs around EUR 6.50.
If you’ve never been though, it’s a must-see.
Boris
Hi Boris,
Good to get a view from someone who’s in Munich! I guess for many Bavarians there are a lot of tourists at the Oktoberfest!
Thanks,
Paul @
TravMonkey.com