Hallo! Wie geht’s dir? Mir geht’s gut, danke!
If that last sentence (and you know, the title of the post) didn’t give it away, today we are going to talk about the lovely country of Germany, except super specifically – Oktoberfest!
If you don’t know, Oktoberfest is an annual festival held on and area called Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany. It is the world’s largest beer festival, with large beer tents (that are really more like temporary buildings than tents), tons of carnival rides, and lots of food and drinks. Millions of people attend every year, with many smaller, similarly themed festivals being imitated all over the world. It begins near the end of September and runs until the first Sunday in October. Yes, it begins in September. It’s confusing, but it’s true. If you go in October you will probably miss it. In 2023 the festival runs from September 16 – October 3. Which is also confusing, because I just told you it ends on the first Sunday in October, BUT when German Unity Day (October 3rd) occurs after the first Sunday, Oktoberfest is extended to the 3rd. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I have been to the Oktoberfest grounds twice, one in 2019 and once in 2022 (there was no festival in 2020 or 2021). My husband is German, and his family still lives near Munich, so it is quite easy for us to plan a trip there. The grounds are within walking distance of the main train station. However, in 2019 I didn’t even know that dude, so I went with my best friend, Emily. Most of the tips below come from my time there with her, since in 2022 the crowds were still recovering from the pandemic, and we just came into the city for the day versus staying overnight in Munich.
The festival grounds and tents are free to enter, however a beer will cost 11-13 EUR and a meal will be 15-20 EUR. In order to make a reservation at one of the tents, you need to commit to buying food and drink, as well you need to have a party of ten or more. Some of the food stalls outside of the tents you can eat at for cheaper. Each tent has somewhat of a unique experience, but to the average person they will essentially all feel the same, so don’t worry too much about which one you end up in, Ein Prosit is Ein Prosit!
Read on for some of my best recommendations for attending Oktoberfest!
- Dressing in Lederhosen or a Dirndl is more fun
Is everyone dressed up? No. Do you have to dress up? Definitely not. Is it way more fun if you do? YES. I’m not sure what percentage of people are actually going to be dressed in the traditional manner, but it is the majority. If you are attending the festival purposefully as part of your vacation, buy into the tradition, it’s way more fun and the photos are worth it! I can understand if you are on a long backpacking style journey, you may not want to carry around an outfit that you can wear only once. Also, they aren’t cheap. I was very lucky my Grandmother was a super talented seamstress and was able to make me mine for about $40 CAD in materials. A traditional one bought in the city will run you at least 100 EUR, and a campy costume-ish once from Amazon will be 50 EUR+. SO, I say dress up because I really think it is more fun if you do, but this one can really blow a budget, so do what is right for you.
If you do dress traditionally, however, avoid anything that is campy or costumey. Dirndls are flattering, but they are not short skirts. Many Bavarian people at the festival would consider this to be offensive attire and you will get a few nasty looks. Here are some links:
See the difference? An offensive outfit may even get you turned away from some of the higher end tents, although I have not seen this happen I have heard it can.
For footwear, I would wear sneakers. Comfortable and closed toes are the two most important. There will be broken glass. I wore Keds, Emily wore Converse, and we had no issues, except our feet were wet from the fact that it rained the whole time.
- 1-2 days is enough
When something is as famously fun as Oktoberfest, there is temptation to want to stay there for several days. I would strongly advise against this. One or two days at the festival is more than enough to have a fun time, eat lots of food, and drink lots of beer. In one day you can see and do everything there. I wouldn’t attend twice in the same year, in fact I am in no hurry to go back any time soon! Munich is an amazing city with so much to see and do there, if you are going to be in the area for a few days don’t return to the festival, you really will find it gets boring fast. If you are a big drinker, there are many great places in the city to check out that will be enjoyable and easier on your wallet! If anything, you may need to schedule a hangover day in your plans before a second day at the grounds.
- Get there early
This is one of the most populous festivals in the world, so you can imagine things get pretty busy. Plan to try to go on a weekday, and get there around 12pm-2pm. We did not do this my first time there, and really struggled to find a table. You cannot order a beer in a tent if you do not have a seat to sit in. If you have to go on the weekend, get there when it opens. Beer for breakfast might not seem appetizing to some, but sometimes when traveling, we do as the locals do!
If you are like I was, and attending with 1 other friend, a reservation for 10 (the minimum number of people you can make one for) is going to be pretty difficult to secure. Personally, I think if you get there before 4pm on a weekday you will not have trouble finding a place to sit for 1-4 people. On the weekend or later into the evening, it can be a bit tedious, we had to check out 3-4 tents before we were able to find a place, but it was also raining so a lot of the outdoor seating was empty. I wouldn’t worry too much about a reservation for a small group, getting there early is key.
- Bring Cash and don’t bring a Large Bag
You will need to pay in cash for food and beer inside the tents. As mentioned, it is definitely expensive compared to other places in the city. Also, not tipping your server will be a great way to not get served very quickly on the next round. Cash is also required for any carnival rides you want to go on, and you probably should tip the bathroom attendants too. They definitely deserve it. ATMs on site have high withdrawal fees, even for local currency.
Large bags are not permitted to be taken in. I think officially it’s 3 litres, but it’s up to the discretion of the security guard, so better to be safe and bring something small. A crossbody bag with a zipper pocket is probably your best bet for comfort and security.
- If you are staying in Munich, book your accommodations early
As I have mentioned, this is a very popular festival multiplying the city’s population a few times over for the 16-18 days. Expect scarcity and price gouging for accommodations. We stayed at Meininger Munich City Center in 2019 and our experience there was pretty good. Checking for availability at the time I’m writing this (March 2023) there is no availability here for September 26 – September 30, 2023. The very first thing I would do when planning a trip here, before transportation or anything else, is get your accommodations. For the two of us for two nights we paid over $500 CAD in 2019 and we booked about 6 months in advance. This was 3x more than we paid in the other 2 cities we stayed in on this trip, and we were in a private room in a hostel in Füssen, and a hotel in Würzburg.
A dorm room in a hostel will cost roughly $130-$200 CAD per night per person in 2023, with the cheapest option being a Campsite you can stay in for about $75 CAD per night. I do not recommend using AirBnB ever, but even less so during times like this when hosts can abruptly cancel on you with virtually no repercussions from the platform. This is just my option, but I do not use AirBnB.
At our hostel in 2019, we got very lucky as we booked into a large mixed dorm, I think it was 12 beds. But the layout of the room was such that there were 8 beds in one room, and then a door to 4 more beds and my friend and I were in there with only 1 other quiet guy. We were expecting chaos, so we felt pleasantly surprised with our situation. There was only 1 shared toilet for the whole room though, which was fairly clean every time I used it, but my friend did report than when she got up in the night she found it covered in puke… which leads me to my next tip –
- Hydrate, pace yourself, and ultimately keep your wits about you
You are here for the beer, I get it. But you are also likely going to be at the festival for several hours. The beer is served in 1L steins, and it may be stronger than you are used to, especially if you are a light beer drinker. Oktoberfest beer is light in colour, and it’s very smooth drinking, but it’s usually about 5.5%-6% ABV. For comparison, Coors light is 4.2%.
Make sure for every beer you have a glass of water.
- Send a postcard home firstly from the Festival!
Something I have always done, and continue to do when I travel is send postcards. I didn’t know about this until after I was there, so I want to let you know a little secret – Oktoberfest has its own post office! You can purchase a postcard, postage, and get it sent with a special Oktoberfest stamp right from the grounds.
Overall, I think Oktoberfest is a really great time, and something that everyone should attend at least once. If you have any questions for me, please leave me a comment to ask. If I don’t know the answer, I will ask my husband who has attended the festival many many times!
