If you love to drink good beer, socialize with friends, and sing and dance on oversized tables, Oktoberfest is the place for you. Despite its name, the festival begins on the second to last Saturday in September and continues for about three weeks. It was everything we expected and more.
The Festival
The Oktoberfest festival starts fairly early in the morning, with some people lining up before gates open to get in and snag an unreserved table (especially on the weekends). We arrived around 11:30am on a Thursday with one goal – go to and enjoy as many tents as possible in a single day. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, but what we encountered was a well-oiled machine unlike any festival we’ve seen in the USA. From the seemingly thousands of spinning rotisserie chickens to the assembly line bathroom setup (which is really a feat in process engineering), it is obvious that the festival coordinators have been doing this for a longgg time. Maybe the most impressive fact: we consistently got our beer in a matter of minutes after entering each tent, even with the massive crowds.
We had no problem snagging a table at our first tent (Paulaner) because it was a Thursday and earlier than the locals generally show up for the festival. Walking through the tents, you’ll notice the reservations are marked with a name and time for which the table is reserved. As long as you leave before the reservation starts, you are more than welcome to sit at a reserved table. We stayed at the first tent for about an hour to enjoy a stein and a pretzel before heading to our next tent – Lowenbrau.
It was much more difficult to get a table at Lowenbrau. Luckily, we found a group that was leaving, so we were able to sit down. We stayed here for about another hour to enjoy some lunch (which wasn’t that great) and down a second stein before heading to our third tent – Spaten.
This feels like a fitting time to note that locals recommend only having two or three steins (each one liter) in a single day. Let’s just say we learned this a bit too late. At Spaten, we somehow managed to find a table once again as we enjoyed our third stein.
After Spaten, we ventured over to the Hacker-Pschorr tent, which was by far our favorite. It is a beautiful tent, with the ceiling depicting a perfectly blue sky with some accent white clouds for good measure. The atmosphere was also ideal for the experience we wanted at Oktoberfest. At every table, there were at least two people standing, singing, and having the time of their lives. Unfortunately, it was way too crowded, so we just stood up on a table ourselves to dance and sing with some folks, snag part of someone’s pretzel, and then head out.
Last but not least, we went to the Hofbrauhaus tent to finish off the day. Once again, the inside of the tent was way too crowded, but we managed to find some outdoor seating. We stayed here for a bit to have some beer and play an admittedly dumb drinking game with some locals (who we don’t think appreciated our game too much), but we had fun!
Overall, we had a great time at the festival, but we highly recommend reserving a table if you can fit the bill. This is especially true if you go on a weekend instead of during the week. However, not all tables are able to be reserved, so as long as you are comfortable getting there early and camping out at a table for the day, you are golden. In addition, we recommend going to the festival during the week if it works with your schedule. We thought Thursday was crowded, so we can only imagine how packed it must get over the weekend. As far as food is concerned, you are probably better off eating at one of the street vendors around the festival rather than in the event tents. We have heard from friends that the street vendor food is better tasting and generally less expensive. Plus, as much as we love chicken and pretzels, it is never a bad thing to have more options!
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Sheraton Westpark hotel. It was a good value for the event and area. While there wasn’t much to do around the hotel, it was very close to an S-Bahn (train) as well as within walking distance to the festival. We weren’t the only Oktoberfest attendees staying at the hotel, which was very decorated for the event. It even had a temporary shop for dirndls and lederhosen in the lobby just in case you forgot to bring your own.
We have also stayed by the Englisher Gardens in the past, which is nice for the springtime but is quite a walk / train ride to the Oktoberfest festival. If you are coming to Munich primarily for the party, then we would recommend the Westpark area instead.
Where to Eat (aside from the festival)
Our friend from college owns a little gelateria – gecobli – in the Universitat area just north of the Altstadt. During the winter time, he travels around the world to obtain the best ingredients for his gelato, and the store is open from the Spring until the early Fall. The gelato is amazing! Our favorite flavors are the pistachio and the cinnamon, but the flavors do vary depending on the ingredients available.
We also ate at the Seehaus in the Englisher Gartens. The food itself was pretty good, but it is a generally overpriced restaurant that is pretty touristy due to its prime location on the lake. If you have to pick one additional stop in the city, we wholeheartedly recommend the gelato.
Other Tips & Tricks
- Bring Cash: Almost everything was cash only in the tents, so be prepared to hit up the ATM before going on site. The beers are about 10-20 euros each, and food is about the same price.
- What to Wear: We highly recommend renting your lederhosen from Bavarian Outfitters for the event. It is quite inexpensive compared to purchasing your own pair, and the shop gives you the ability to reserve a pair ahead of time. Be sure to try on as many pairs as you need to find the perfect size for you on the day of your reservation start. The store also gives you the option to rent a dirndl. The women in our group didn’t go this route, which in hindsight was somewhat a mistake, but we at least now have dirndls to wear every year!
- Don’t Get Lost: Consider setting a meet up point and time for you and your fest mates. Without cell service and with all the crowds, it can be difficult to find each other after getting separated. Especially after a few steins.
Happy traveling!
Kitrina & Jordan
