It was the perfect moment as we sat at the table eating the best chicken with crispy skin I ever tasted. The beer was wonderful (I can’t believe how much I drank), and the sausages helped us drink even more. You need a good base for all that good beer. Oktoberfest is a truly unique experience, and it’s not just for the beer lovers. We sang, danced, met locals and other tourists who we soon befriended and had a great time together.
Guest post by Mark Anderson (more about him in the end of the post)
The whole place is packed with people. From the moment I passed the festival gate, I found myself among a huge number of happy, friendly and a little bit tipsy people. It was amazing to see that the whole area was dominated by various tents that are actually big halls. Beer is not bought at bars – a waitress has to bring it, and for the waitress to receive the order at all, you have to have a table seat. So we did reserve a place for us in advance.
What attracts the attention of all visitors are the girls in traditional Bavarian costumes. Even more fascinating is the image of these girls carrying five mugs in one hand, each weighing a litre (a little over 2 pints).
If you want to dress up in traditional clothing, here’s what I recommend – buy it ahead of time. Don’t wait until you get to Germany to do this. There are crazy long lines. We ordered our clothes from Germany in advance so we had authentic costumes that turned a few heads. This festival is perfect for those who like travelling and adventure! This is a place of fun, dancing, songs, and we all washed it down with a huge amount of alcohol and tons of fried sausages, chicken legs, pretzels, and sweets.
Choose Your Tent
The main objects of the festival’s “architecture” are, of course, the famous beer tents. They belong to six Munich breweries, whose brand names are well known to fans around the world. These are Augustiner, Paulaner, Lowenbrau, Franciscaner, Hofbrau, and Hacker-Pschorr. In total, the festival typically has 17 large and 21 small pavilions. They are often unable to accommodate all visitors, so tables are set up next to the pavilion.
The loudest tent is Schottenhamel, a place where students gather. This is where the festival begins. Augustiner Festhalle tent brings beer in authentic oak barrels. You can shoot crossbows near the Armbrustschutzenzelt. In Pschorr-Bräurosl regulars are mostly residents of Munich; Hacker Festzelt has a colorful ‘heavenly’ interior and original music podium. The Löwenbrau beer tent is easy to find with the statue of a huge lion, and it is a place where Munich football fans are gathering.
6 Bavarian Brewers
In addition to beer, special tents offer juices, wine, strong drinks and more. The festival features products from six breweries.
Augustiner is the oldest Munich brewery, founded in the first half of the 14 century in a monastery of the same name. Hacker-Pschorr production has been known since the beginning of the 15th century. It can be tried in the Hacker-Festzelt and Pschorr-Bräurosl tents. Hofbräu court brewer was founded in the late 16th century by the Duke of Bavaria William. It is served in only one large tent – Hofbräuzelt.
The Löwenbräu history can be traced back to the end of the 14th century, but its popularity only reached the 19th century when the company was taken over by the Brey family. Today, Löwenbräu is part of the transnational Belgian brewing InBev. It is served in the Schützen-Festzelt and Löwenbräu-Festhalle tents. Pauliner order monks first served this beer in the 17th century.
Pauliner can be found in Armbrustschützenzelt, Paulaner Festzelt, Käfer Tent, Kuffler’s Weinzelt tents. Spaten Franziskaner is found in the end of the 14th century. Today the brand is part of the brewing group InBev. The foamed beverage is bottled in tents Marstall, Schottenhamel, Ochsenbraterei, Goldenen Hahn, Kalbsbraterei, Wirtshaus im Schichtl.
Delicious Food
The food is so delicious and goes so well with the beer that you can forget about a healthy lifestyle for a while. There are traditional Bavarian sausages, fried chicken, grilled beef and pork, roasted fish, potato salad, and salted pretzels. One of the big tents serves roasted bull rotated on a skewer. If you like sweets you should try Bavarian heart-shaped gingerbread cookies, caramelized apples, fruits and nuts in sugar, and chocolate of all kinds and for every taste.
Weisswurst white sausages are a famous Bavarian specialty that is often eaten in combination with mustard and freshly baked pastries. You should also try Schweinshaxe pork knuckles and Schweinebraten roast pork. Enjoy an apple strudel with a variety of toppings or try the unique cheese strudel. Don’t miss the traditional Bavarian chocolate cake – Prinzregententorte.
Outside Fun
The festival features an entire amusement park with swings, swirls, and a Ferris wheel. Many festival guests spend all day here without ever tasting beer. Since 1979, the permanent attraction at this fair has been the Whelenborg Wheel, which raises visitors in gondolas to a height of 48 meters (160 feet). It is certainly the most striking attraction seen from afar and allows visitors to enjoy the view of Teresa’s meadow from a bird’s eye view.
The Devil’s Wheel appeared in 1910. Visitors climb a wooden plateau – a disc 5 meters in diameter. The presenter instructs them to sit, lie down, or stay standing. The disc starts spinning, first slowly, then faster and faster, with the presenter’s helpers chasing the “passengers” with hay bags or grabbing them with the lasso. The goal is to stay on the disc for as long as possible.
Oktoberfest App
You should download the free Oktoberfest App where you can find all the latest news, event dates, information, festival map, and tips. There is even a friend finder option through which you can share your location with your friends. The app is available on both the App Store and Google Play.
Author Bio
Mark Anderson is a business consultant and a travel freak. He uses all of his free time to travel, taking extraordinary photographs. He likes to share experiences and observations from his travels with others by writing and publishing interesting articles.
Further reading
Check out this post, if you look for more things to do on Oktoberfest
If you are in Munich for a long time, check out the day trips from Munich
Join my community!
I love working on Engineer on tour, but it is a time-consuming thing to make. I am always improving and trying to bring you the best from photography and travel.
Currently, my main platform is my Facebook Photo Page. I will be happy to see you among my followers’ families and engage in a friendly discussion. Let me know how I’m doing and feel free to suggest some topics to write about.
You can also find me on other social media:
FACEBOOK 2 (blog updates only) / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / INSTAGRAM 2 (only Finland) / PINTEREST
Pinterest:
