Out of all of the countries in Europe, I have visited Germany more times than any other. What can I say? I guess I find Germany quite charming! I haven’t visited a city there that I didn’t like. With that being said, I originally did not want to visit Munich or go to Oktoberfest. I know, I’m weird right? I’ve heard a lot of people say that Oktoberfest isn’t even something that Germans do. It’s an American attraction, a drunk fest. Blah, blah, blah. So, when Maddie and Justin invited us to go, I thought, okay, maybe. And then, when my best girlfriend, Ashley, who lives in the US told me she was thinking of going and wanted to meet there, I couldn’t say no. Maddie + Justin + Ashley + John in one city = a solid yes for me. Who cares what city or what event? Thus my trip to Munich and Oktoberfest came to fruition.

Since this was one of my longer trips, I’m going to divide it into two posts – one about Oktoberfest and one about Munich itself. This post will be about Oktoberfest, both our personal experience and some tips!

So first, let me say – I’m really glad I went!  I had an amazing time and lots of fun even though I don’t do crowds.  The experience itself was worth it!!

The Oktoberfest Festival

I’m not sure what I really expected, but Oktoberfest is a… festival!!  Ha!  They have a ton of really cute stands that sell everything from crepes (see below), to pretzels, to Lebkuchen Heart Cookies (see below), to souvenirs and attire.  I also saw a stand with five or six different types of fish on a stick (also see below!)….

Most people who attended Oktoberfest wore traditional attire (Drindl’s for women and lederhosen for men).  I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate or not, but it was definitely encouraged by all of the locals I met.

• Drindls come in mini (short), midi (mid-length), and long.
• You’re supposed to tie the knot on the skirt according to your “status.”  A knot on the right indicates you are taken and left indicates you’re single.
• You can buy them on Amazon (much cheaper!!) or in Munich (very expensive!).  If you want to buy them in Munich, look for second hand shops (we found new Leiderhosen to cost from 500 to 1,000 euro!)
• I’d also recommend wearing a (small – big bags aren’t permitted in the tents!!) purse and shoes you don’t mind getting beer on.

Oktoberfest also hosts a huge variety of amusement park rides!  They looked tempting (heard they were good), but alas beer.

Tents & Tickets

Probably the top questions pertaining to Oktoberfest include: “How do I get tickets?” and “Which tent is the best?”  I think the answer to both of those depends on who you ask.  We actually acquired zero tickets for ourselves – both sets of friends acquired them for us.  So,  I will tell you about how they did this.

Maddie’s Method:

Maddie Googled: “The 12 Octoberfest Tents” and then went to each tent’s website and applied for tickets.  Each tent has different application dates, with some starting in January and most ending in July.  According to Maddie, most tents opened for applications in March, so if you decided you wanted to go to Oktoberfest after March, it might be difficult to get a good table.

Ashley’s Method:

Ashley decided she was going purchase tickets to Oktoberfest in July.  At this point, prime time for purchasing tickets had past.  Thus, the only way to get them was to buy them from a reseller (which is actually not allowed, but quite a few people did it!).  Tickets are much more expensive this way than Maddie’s way.  However, this is great if you aren’t able to plan a year ahead.

Ashley elected to go to Oktoberfest on Saturday night (prime time – also most crowded).  We shared a table with people we didn’t know, but it was A TON of fun!

Our tent for Saturday night was Hacker-Pschorr.  It was a beautiful tent and the people were spirited!

Hacker-Pschorr with Ashley + John

Festhalle Schottenhamel with Maddie + Justin + Family

We took the time to visit every single tent there, and every single one was unique in its own way.  Thus, I don’t have a recommendation for which tent to visit.  My only recommendation is to pick one and ENJOY all Oktoberfest has to offer!!