Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
We all love festivals and what better if it happens to be a beer festival. While a lot of cities around the globe have started organizing it, nothing beats the original Bavarian one - The Oktoberfest. If your Europe travel happens to be around September mid to October first week, it would be a crime to miss out on the Oktoberfest. Squeeze in a few days for Munich and make it a point to get to the Oktoberfest grounds to experience German brew binge at its best.
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Oktoberfest is Disney land with lots and lots of amazing quality beer, live music and... beer maids! |
Do note that if you are travelling in a large group, it is better to book a table in advance and the craze for this fest is such that bookings for a spot here start as early as December. Apparently, preparations for the next year's Oktoberfest begins at the close of current year’s fest. Phew!
Anyways back to our ale tales... we were two guys and somehow managed to get a place to park ourselves inside the tent. Probably only because we went in early in the day and it was a weekday. If somehow you manage a seat, stick to it as you may not get one later unless you have made prior reservations. When you have have had your fill at a particular tent and won't be able to guzzle any longer then Hop On and Hop Off to as many tents as you can. The venue is huge and it is difficult to cover all tents in a day.
"Once the beer starts to kick in, no one stays a stranger. It is like a world peace conference. Everyone loves everyone. Dance, sing, stand on top of the benches."
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Oktoberfest is a celebration like no other. Thousands of people visit Munich every year for the love of beer |
HoHo Trivia: Oktoberfest began as the marriage ceremony between Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. What was a simple wedding celebration has transformed into a 17 or 18-day festival in which 7 million people from around the world participate consuming more than 6 million liters of Bavarian beer. That’s 1 million gallons of beer!
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Oktoberfest can be an amazing family outing too |
"The beers at Oktoberfest are way more potent in the alcohol content and a pint is not the pint we get in India. One can easily get carried away (so did we) and end up lost and sloshed."
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Sobhit and his friend Karan enjoying the Oktoberfest |
Just to add though while beer corpses are a normal sight at the fest, it is not advisable to be one yourself. Enjoy the fest, be careful of your belongings and most importantly make sure the experience is not that wild.
We woke up the next morning totally hungover but even more excited about another day of drunken revelry. We got late, managed to reach by evening and could not find a place to sit anywhere. Forget tents, even beer gardens were all bursting at the seams. That's when we realised there's more to Oktoberfest than just beer! The fest is also a brilliant family outing destination with amusement rides and lots of food stalls to explore. Apart from the beer tasting, you can sample different types of amazing meats and other Bavarian staples on display.
Anyways back to our beer binge. After enjoying these local food treats we did manage to find a spot and started doing what everyone does best at this fest... drink beer. Hic hic hooray!
Tipsy Tips

- They have a rule of not serving you unless you are seated. So in case you are unable to find a place to sit, forget the beer as no one will take the order.
- In case you are done drinking and plan to just sit and enjoy, forget that as well. With the never ending waiting queues, the servers are candid enough to ask you to leave.
- Attractive beer maids masterfully carry the huge beer mugs and are also the biggest attraction of the fest... There are bouncers around too, just in case you get tipsy and frank!
- Larger groups planning to travel are best advised to book a table in advance. You can search online, raise a query and the organisers will revert. Direct queries to the major tents can also be made.
- Do tip as avoiding it isn't the best idea. The pricing is made such that you anyways end up leaving the change.
- Do look for traditional Bavarian outfits, buy them and wear them. I plan to do that as well next time.
HoHo Info
What: Oktoberfest 2016
First things first… Oktoberfest actually kicks off in September. This year’s dates are Sept 17-Oct 3 to ensure the crowd can enjoy outdoors better before the frosty October sets in. On the dot of 12 noon on Saturday, September 17th, Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter will tap the first barrel thus declaring the “Wiesn” - as the Munich people call it – officially open.
Second most important thing — anyone can enter the Oktoberfest and all of the tents for free. You don´t need any ticket to get in! Woohoo!
There are 14 main beer tents at the grounds serving brews. Of the 14 tents there are 6 large tents, which rotate up to 12,000 people per day! Only six breweries are represented at the Oktoberfest grounds – Späten, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Poschorr, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. Everyone has their preferred brew by the end, which one will be yours?
Where: Munich, Germany
When: September 17 to October 3, 2016
Sobhit narrated his experiences to our hopper in chief Nausheen Tareen
Images courtesy: buzzmunich.in
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