eins, zwei, drei, G’suppaaaa!
First things first. “eins, zwei, drei, G’suppaaaa” means “one, two, three, drink” and I think it’s crucial to learn due to the frequency of your usage in Oktoberfest. Oh, by the way, you should also learn to say “cheers” because you will be amazed by the beer being drunk at the festival. While sipping your beer with your friends, it’s time to say “prost”!
Oktoberfest is a festival organized annually in Munich, Germany, with 6 million people. Oktoberfest is the biggest symbol of Munich and lasts for 16 days in order to include the first Sunday of September. The festival is held on Theresienwiese, usually called “d’ Wiesn” or “d’Waasn” for short in German.
History of Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is one of the world’s oldest festivals because it was started to celebrate in 1810. This event was organized on October 12, 1810, to celebrate the marriage between King Louis I and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Munich’s citizens were invited to the wedding and celebrated it in the fields in front of the city gates.
After Oktoberfest has worldwide popularity, other festivals named Oktoberfest have started to be organized around the world.
Traditions of Oktoberfest
Today, Oktoberfest starts with brewers parading into the Oktoberfest area on Saturday and the tradition of the mayor of Munich. The Mayor of Munich taps on a large wooden beer keg saying “O’zapft is!” in the Schottenhamel tent. Then, there is a more extensive walk on the second day, which is called “Trachtenumzug.” The local people gather with their traditional clothes on Trachtenumzug.
Another unique tradition of Oktoberfest is beer! They produce a special beer for the festival with a darker color than usual. Also, the beer consists of 9-10% alcohol and less acid. This beer is served with only special 1 lt glasses and only beer brewers from Munich have permission to do it. Germans call this beer “Maß Bier” and it means big beer.
When talking about traditions, of course, we have to mention traditional clothes! There is no mandatory dress code to attend the festival but, especially the locals of Munich prefer to wear their traditional clothes named Trachten. They have different names for women’s and man clothes. Women traditionally wear Dirndl, and the average prices for the dresses are around 40 EUR. The men’s clothes are named Lederhouse, and their average price is 80 EUR.
Probably the most problematic side of Oktoberfest is the reservation! You are probably surprised to hear about a festival and reservation but it is unfortunately real. Half of the tables in the festival are occupied by reserved tables and people make their reservations months earlier. If you do not want to go earlier in the morning to the festival area to get a table, you have to make a reservation. You can say why it is so important; I can take my drink and get away from the place but let me give you a secret. You can’t 🙁 If you do not have a table, you probably cannot find someone to serve you. They only care about the seated ones.
What is happening inside?
As I said, it is a massive event with 6 million people. The area of Oktoberfest is 420,000 square meters and it has 4 tents with a capacity of 10.000. Also, there are many other tents with a smaller capacity. The total number of tents is 34. The Oktoberfest area also includes many food places and a funfair for both adults and children. We know seeing something for children in a beer festival can be confusing, but Oktoberfest is an appropriate place for children too! In recent years, festival organizers have made an effort to overcome their reputation as the largest beer festival in the world and build a more family-friendly image.
Expenses
Oktoberfest does not require money for entrance. So? Yes, it is entirely free to attend! You only have to pay for your expenses inside the festival, like your meals and drinks. But we have to inform you about the prices of Oktoberfest. Prices are really high inside and the waiters really care about the tips. I can even say if you do not give a tip to the waiters, you will not have a good experience in the food places. Plus, only cash is accepted in the Oktoberfest area!
Do not forget Oktoberfest is where the most expensive beer is sold in Munich.
Best Time to Visit
Germans usually do not work on Fridays, so the actual crowd of Oktoberfest starts on Thursday evenings. You can consider visiting the festival on weekdays or Sunday evenings. (the secret is choosing the days which people have to go to work after). It is not a crucial thing because the area of the festival is always crowded but if you want a more calm experience, try it! Also, the tents at Oktoberfest work from 9 am to 10 pm.
And there is an Italian weekend at Oktoberfest! On the festival’s second weekend, Italians come to Theresienwiese and spend their time there. I cannot say a specific time to visit Oktoberfest, but if you are looking for less crowded days at the festival, here is the time you should definitely avoid. Italians come here in groups from their country, and it becomes more crowded that weekend.
