If you only go to one festival in your lifetime, make sure it is the German Beer Festival, Oktoberfest in Munich. Oktoberfest is like being transported to a real-life wonderland full of laughter, tradition, food and of course beer. Oktoberfest in Munich has developed the nickname of the happiest place on earth; being the most mind-blowing two-week celebration in history! Things are returning to normal, travel is coming back now is the best time to start planning your trip to Oktoberfest 2022.
How did Oktoberfest in Munich begin?
In 1810 the Prince of Bavaria and Therese Von Sachsen-Hildburghausen wanted to celebrate their marriage by throwing a huge party; everyone was invited to enjoy the festivities. The party was a huge hit so they continued the tradition; each year adding more and more activities, beers and entertainment. In 1910, to mark the 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest, 12,000 hectolitres of beer were poured at the Pschorr-Bräurosl, a huge festival tent.
This party has raged on annually for over 200 years; in its long history, it has only been cancelled 24 times; which was generally due to war or a pandemic. Unfortunately, 2021 was one of those historical years where the festival has been cancelled. However, do not be disheartened; use this post to keep that excitement alive and start planning your trip to the happiest place on earth Oktoberfest 2022. It is customary for the Mayor of Munich to tap the very first keg and shout O’zapft is (It’s tapped), which marks the start of the two-week festival.
Planning your Trip to Oktoberfest in Munich
Oktoberfest is a 16-18 day festival held annually in Munich Germany. It runs from late September to the first weekend in October. Being such a popular festival millions of people descend on the city to experience the magic of the festival, which in turn means prices are often jacked up and things are suddenly 10 times the price. That includes accommodation; look for a place to stay out of the main city centre area but close to public transport. The Public transport system in Munich is amazing and you can get to every corner of the city using it. Ensure you know exactly what metro you need to catch to make it safely back to your accommodation after a day of drinking steins.
Dress for the occasion – Traditional German Outfits are a must
It is more than just a tradition for locals and tourists to look the part at Oktoberfest; absolutely everyone gets into the spirit and wears traditional Bavarian folk clothing. Don’t be the party pooper because you will be the odd one out if you don’t dress up. For men it is a Lederhosen; lederhosen is short or knee-length pants made out of leather, complete with suspenders. The Lederhosen is finished off with a chequered, collared shirt, long white woollen socks and a hat to top it all off. Ladies, get to dress up in a Dirndl, the best way to describe a dirndl is a corset-like top and free-flowing full skirt, complete with a white puffy blouse.
Ladies do not fall into the trap of purchasing a dirndl that is any shorter than your knee; it is very disrespectful, and the locals will not appreciate it.
How long should you stay?
3-4 days is ample; the festival is addictive. I personally made the life choice to spend 5 days, don’t get me wrong it was an absolute blast. However, after drinking between 4-5 steins a day for 5 days straight your body starts to send off some warning signals. The first day you find your groove, the second day you just enjoy it like a local, the third day you have been to most of the entertainment activities, day four you are tired and exhausted but you push through and day 5 was a very bad idea. 3 days at the festival would have been the perfect amount of time to enjoy everything and still function as a human being. Most locals will only visit the festival one day out of the two weeks as that is enough for them to enjoy it.
Oktoberfest; the opening of the Festival – How much does it cost?
It is free to enter Oktoberfest but don’t let that fool you; your trip will be expensive. Prepare yourself mentally and financially. The beer is literally liquid gold and the prices start from around €12 which is about $20 AUD; on the plus side, it is a litre of beer that is brewed specially for the festival. The beer in the festival is only allowed to be served from breweries from Munich and is brewed extra strong; it is about 6% alcohol. During the festival on average, there are about 7 million litres of beer consumed by the 6 million people who attend the festival each year.
The biggest German Beer Festival: Oktoberfest
The main focal point and must-visit place at the festival is the Beer halls; this is where the magic really happens. The music coming from the middle of the hall is strong and passionate; the beer maids like true champions are carrying 10 steins to thirsty patrons without splashing a drop; people are laughing; singing; chatting. This is when you will feel it; you are now in one of the happiest places on earth; Oktoberfest in Munich.
You must participate in “Ein Prosit”
On a regular occurrence, you will hear the band start to play “Ein Prosit”. This is where you are obligated to stand; sway side to side with your stein and sing along at the top of your lungs. You can’t help but feel passionate and excited once that song goes; beer is usually spilt everywhere, and it will most likely get all over you; Just go with the flow it is all a part of the experience.
Food, Food oh glorious food; better yet German Food
The beer is a very important aspect of the festival; however, for those food lovers, you will be in paradise. With 140 different restaurants and food stands you will find the most delicious and hearty German foods. Remember the beer is 6% and when you are drinking it all day you need to line your stomach. What better way to do that but with a Pork Knuckle or pretzel the size of your head? If you follow our blog closely you will know we LOVE food that is as big as our heads. On average there are over 510,000 whole roast chickens, 60,000 pork knuckles and 60,000 + sausages eaten over the festival.
You can not miss this!
The Teufelsrad or the Devils wheel; this one is not well known and is something that should NOT be missed.
Walking into the tent; there will be a huge wheel in the centre of the room; the idea of the game is to get all our lovely ladies involved. Ladies, there is no turning back now; you will be welcomed onto the somewhat innocent wheel; you take a seat make yourself comfortable. The wheel gradually increases in speed; the unsuspecting slide off; the speed increases again, arms, legs and skirts go flying in every direction; with only the strongest holding their ground. If you make it this far you proceed to the next round, congratulations. It is now the guys turn to get involved they are given lassos to try and capture the ladies off the wheel. My personal attempt at the wheel was not very impressive and a hilarious experience for the crowd to enjoy.
What NOT to do at Oktoberfest
-DO NOT stand on the tables and skull your stein, You will be kicked out, no questions asked. You are however allowed to stand on the chairs and sway your beer back and forth.
-DO NOT woof whistle or disrespect the waitresses in any way, they are busy and will most definitely ignore you for the rest of the day if you treat them poorly
-DO NOT buy your outfit from a costume shop
-Don’t be a drunken mess
-If you find a spot at a table in a beer tent, DO NOT LEAVE
– DO not turn up in the afternoon, be there as soon as the gates open in the morning
-Don’t steel steins, the police will check your bags
Things to do at Octoberfest
-TIP YOUR WAITRESS, as soon as you arrive and get your first drink. TIP YOUR WAITRESS you do this and I can guarantee that they will keep returning to you in a timely manner, if you don’t you can wait hours for a beer.
-Sing, Dance, Embrace and emerge yourself in the culture of the German beer festival; Oktoberfest
-Bring Cash, not many places on the festival grounds accept cards. although be smart and don’t take wads of cash or you might lose it.
Start planning your trip to Oktoberfest 2022
Oktoberfest: one of the longest celebrated marriages in history and is a party that has raged on for over 200 years. It is often labelled the happiest place on earth and that is truly an understatement. It is a wonderful playground for all ages with the most incredible atmosphere. The second you walk through those gates to the festival grounds you are transported to another world, where the only thing that is important is having a great time. This year unfortunately is not our year however keep those spirits high and those dreams alive and plan your trip to Oktoberfest the happiest place on earth. The atmosphere will overwhelm you; the sense of belonging and being a part of such a unique celebration is something that you will remember forever.
Check out https://www.muenchen.de/media/wiesn/2019/wiesnplan/UK_Wiesnplan19_PDF/UK_Wiesnplan19.pdf for a map of the festival grounds.
