Having attended various Oktoberfest parties in my life, I’ve always wondered what it might be like in Munich. Already abroad, what better opportunity to make sure it is included on my itinerary?! Here was my experience, perhaps you can pull some tips and tricks to make the most of your visit when you go. Because let’s be honest, you’re going to want to go after this!
First, I must admit that I was a bit hesitant leading up to the event. I have been traveling solo for nearly 5 months now, and made plenty of friends along the way. However, this was going to be a huge event and I didn’t want to go alone. But, I trusted all would be well and indeed I had nothing to worry about – perks of staying in a hostel. It’s impossible not to meet other people if that is your goal!
The day before the event, I met my new roommates and convinced them to go out for ‘one’ drink. One always leads to two anyway but we didn’t want to get crazy as we planned to get up early. We also agreed to get up and go to the event the following morning together. Bonding over beers at Augustiner am Dom in town, we had a great night and conversation, and came up with some fun nicknames. Although Glenn AKA G-string might disagree. Sorry, it was hard to take you seriously when you told us your friends call you G-money. The new nickname stuck throughout the evening into the following day when we introduced him to others.
My alarm went off at 7:15 the next morning. We left the hostel at around 8:30 to get to the grounds before they opened to try to get a table somewhere – we didn’t have a reservation. On the first day of Oktoberfest, the grounds open up to the public at 9:00 but they do not serve beer until 12:00. The Grand Parade kicks off at 10:45, where the breweries and the landlords make their very grand entrance into the Theresienwiese where the Oktoberfest ‘tents’ are setup. The parade concludes with the mayor of Munich tapping the first keg to kick off the event in the Schottenhamel tent. It’s quite the scene, and everyone cheers throughout the entire grounds once the clock strikes 12.
Beer service times
- Opening day / 12:00 – 22:30
- Monday through Friday / 10:00 – 22:30
- Weekends and Holidays / 09:00 – 22:30
There are supposedly 1 or 2 tents that may have a later last call, but I cannot find a solid online source to confirm this.
We got in line around 8:45 AM, and wow there were already a lot of people! We entered a side entrance and headed to the Hofbräu Festzelt tent. Do a bit of research online before you go to decide which tent you want to go to when you get there! You will otherwise be overwhelmed by the options, each one has it’s own vibe and style. There are 14 ‘mega tents’ to choose from and while the smaller ones can be fun as well, I recommend starting at one of the larger tents. As we were walking and looking around I found myself in awe – it’s hard not to be! They refer to them as ‘tents’ but it is incredible they are not permanent structures up year round – they are legitimate buildings constructed just for the event. They spend about 3 months prior to the event getting the ‘tents’ setup before Oktoberfest kicks off.
Even though we got there early we were unable to get a table inside the tent. Perhaps had we came in via the front/main entrance we might have been luckier snagging a table, or if we explored some of the other less popular tents. For only 3 of us, we might have squeezed in somewhere but we had a few others joining us as well. Fortunately, if you aren’t picky about sitting indoors, you can seemingly snag a spot outdoors relatively easily. If a table indoors is important to you, make a reservation in advance OR get in line super early. I understand that on weekends people line up as early as 5-5:30 AM. Everyone takes this party seriously!
We ended up getting a great spot outside the Hofbräu tent and was able to secure an entire table. The weather was perfect, albeit a bit chillier on the earlier side of the day. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for the clock to strike 12:00. Another friend I had made on my walking tour of Munich, Ashley, and her 2 friends joined us around 9:45. More nicknames were given, but I will spare them the decency of sharing them on my blog as they aren’t exactly appropriate. All in good fun! My other new friend Justin and his friend Melissa and Carolina joined us just after 12:00. Good thing we saved an entire table!
(The whole crew, pre-beers)
As the time drew close, announcements came out across a loudspeaker and finally came the countdown reminiscent of midnight on New Year’s Eve. As we got to zero, you couldn’t hear much beyond the cheers of people in the crowd, and the sound of the keg being tapped in the distance. The beer maids started coming out from side doors carrying massive amounts of steins. I can hardly hold one in each hand, I can’t imagine lifting 10 or more of them at one time! Insider’s tip, while we were waiting, we should have tipped the beer maids in advance to ensure we were served sooner. Having said that, they did a great job considering the beer tent holds nearly 10,000 people both indoor and outdoor, all of which wanted a beer. I can only imagine what that pre-shift meeting sounded like…
We finally got a beer maid’s attention, tipped her well, and paid for the entire table of beers. We got our first beers around 12:45. After this she paid close attention to our table. Collectively we got all the money together, exact change, to make the process as easy as possible and made one payment for the first round. This makes it much easier for them! I don’t know if they take credit card but cash is definitely the only way to go. Each tent only serves one type of beer which makes the selection process pretty simple! The cost for every beer we purchased was €11.40. Perhaps this is a standard across all tents but I found it to be the same everywhere. Considering this was a marathon and not a sprinting event, I did my best to pace myself, still holding onto my second beer 2 hours in.
After a while at Hofbräu Festzelt, I went over to the Ammer tent to meet up with another group of friends of friends. Yes, you make lots of friends at this event. This is a smaller tent but had a live band playing as I walked in. And yes, even if you pick a spot outside you absolutely should grab your beer and walk through the inside of each tent you are at, the scene is incredible! The interior is just as awe-inspiring as the exterior.
(inside the tent at Hofbräu Festzelt)
(inside the tent at Augustiner)
From here we went to Hacker-Pschorr, another beautiful mega tent. And after this peppered my way to the Marstall tent where I ended up closing the evening. Throughout the day we lost a few in the group, who stayed behind to do a little flirting, gained a couple along the way, and reconnected in the evening with some from the original crew. Throughout the day you will see people singing, people dancing, people chugging beers, people cheering, people laughing. It’s hard not to be in a good mood, everyone is happy! All in all, an amazing day and an experience I will not soon forget. Incredibly thrilled to check this off my bucket list, and am quite confident I will be back!
My suggestions for a good time at Oktoberfest
- Get there early! If you want to get a table and don’t have a reservation, this is the only way you can get yourself a spot. As mentioned, if you are OK with sitting outside then you might be alright showing up a bit later.
- Backpacks will not be allowed in. If you are carrying a coat or anything you can carry or wear it in. Otherwise you can check your bag, but good luck remembering to grab it on the way out!
- They will not let you bring water bottles into any of the tents. We did get a water at one of the tents. It was sparkling, sure, but it also cost us €4.60. Thought it was a joke at first, nope. There are food vendors outside the tents that you can get cheaper food and water at.
- Arrive a few days before it kicks off so you can explore Munich. The excitement leading up the event can be felt in the city and it is such an awesome town that you will want to explore it, especially if you haven’t been before! Also, hotel and hostel rates jump tremendously for the event so this is one way to save you some money.
- You only need to go for 1 day, maybe 2. Anything more than that is just exhausting!
- Tip your beer maid well on the first round to ensure they keep an eye on you when you decide you are ready for that refill.
- Bring cash! I don’t think most of the places take credit card but even still, cash makes the whole experience so much easier. Recommend bringing some coins for change if you can so you can pay with exact change, making it much easier.
- Bring/buy/rent lederhosen (guys) or a dirndl (ladies) for the event! While not a requirement, I would wager that 95% of the attendees sport this traditional outfit and you might feel out of place. Plus, what a great souvenir! If your bag is already full, you can rent an outfit in town. Prepare to spend €80-300 on an outfit if you get one in Munich.
- Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, and pace yourself! The beers served are a special brew JUST for this event and are typically of higher ABV than the usual beers. You want to enjoy the day and remember most of it, so this is the best thing I can say.
Oktoberfest, a (brief) history
In October of 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig (later becomes King Ludwig I), marries Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the event, which concluded with horse races in the presence of the Royal Family. The king at the time loved seeing all of the city participate in the event, saw that merchants were making money, and everyone was celebrating, that they decided to continue the celebration the following year which has since grown and developed into the event we celebrate today. At least this is how the history was explained to me on my walking tour, perhaps some of the details vary from what actually happened.
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