The Munich Oktoberfest for beginners. Come join the party!
A flower seller at the Munich Oktoberfest. Picture: Pierre Lewandowski
Inside one of the famous beer tents at the Oktoberfest in Munich. Picture: Tommy Loesch
A cheerful Oktoberfest waitress lugs a table's worth of beer to a grateful public. Picture: B. Roemmelt
The dates for Munich Oktoberfest 2024 are Saturay, September 21 to Sunday, October 6. There’s often a mad rush to find a seat before the beer starts flowing at 10am (9am on weekends). There’s a costume parade on the first Sunday. Weekdays are much quieter than weekends, especially around lunchtime. Which tent to pick Most of the drinking is done in the 17 big beer "tents" - actually big wooden halls. You can reserve tables through www.oktoberfest.de but most sell out months in advance. The festivities officially start in the Schottenhamel tent and often reach their rowdiest in the Hacker (Heaven of Bavaria). The Marstall tent is the first one you see as you walk through the main gates. The Hofbräu tent is famed for pulling far more tourists than locals, the Augustiner might be the best for Bavarian authenticity and the Löwenbräu tends to fill up later than some of the others.
Four of these five girls are wearing "Dirndl" themed T-shirts. Perhaps not the genuine article but still quite nice! Pic: uLe @ Dortmund
Practically anything goes, but for an extra layer of fun consider kitting out like a local. For guys, a pair of Lederhosen leather shorts start from €120. For gals, a traditional Dirndl dress cost upwards of about €100. Tip: When worn correctly Dirndls also reveal the wearers’ availability. Look just above the apron: If there’s a bow on the right she’s taken. A bow on the left means she’s still to be had, and a bow bang on the front marks a virgin.
Spirits up: A group of friends in Bavarian costume at the famous German beerfest. Pic: Mike-Campbell
• May I sit here? - Darf ich mich zu dir setzen? (Darf ik mik zoo dear set-zen?) • One beer, please! - Eine Maß, bitte! (Eyne mass, bit-tey!) • Cheers! - Prost! (Prawst!) • Your eyes are as pretty as a meadow full of tulips. - Deine Augen sind so schön wie eine Tulpenwiese . (Dine-ny ow-gen sind so schern vee eyne tul-pen-vee-say) • Let’s go back to my tent for a coffee! - Gehen wir mal zu meinem Zelt für einen Kaffee! (Gay-en veer mal zoo mine-em zelt fair eyn-en kaf-ey!) • I need to chuck up. - Ich muss kotzen. (Ik moose kot-zen) • I have a killer hangover. - Ich habe so einen Katter. (Ik hab-ey so eyn-en kat-er)
Looking good: Cute Oktoberfest girls in Dirndls pose for the camera at the Munich festival. Pic: © AFP
Destination Munich and Bavaria is the best, most up-to-date and entertaining travel guide to the region - guaranteed. It gives you full-colour maps, practical information and top tips on how to get the most out of your visit. It's 227 pages of up-to-the-minute travel intelligence and it can be yours as an eBook for less than the price of an Oktoberfest beer. (read on)
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Note: This is an index of all the Munich Oktoberfest stories on the site, for an overview of the fest, scroll to the top of this page or click here.
▪ This is what the Oktoberfest tents look like when they're empty and waiting for you
Preview Page 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Oktoberfest pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
▪ Oktoberfest beds - Find your bed before they're all sold out - again!
▪ The Old Oktoberfest (Oide Wiesn) - This is a special area at the southern end of the Oktoberfest grounds.
▪ Oktoberfest deals and tours - Book a tour of the Oktoberfest and a table in one of the tents. But be quick! These deals always sells out! ▪ Oktoberfest mistakes - Don't do these eight things!
▪ Oktoberfest tent guide - Destination Munich's two-page guide to Oktoberfest beer tents. You'll also find out how to reserve a table at the world's biggest party.See the first page here or go to Oktoberfest tent guide page 2.
▪ German Dirndl - All about that most wonderful traditional dress, the Dirndl. (extra photo page at Oktoberfest Dirndl photos).
▪ Munich Oktoberfest A - Z - A tip for every letter of the alphabet.
▪ Your Oktoberfest stories - Got a story about a visit to the Munich Oktoberfest? Or have you been to a similar festival elsewhere in the world? Tell us about it!Go here to contribute and check out other readers' tipsy tales.
▪ Oktoberfest history - Get the backstory on the world's biggest bash.
▪ Oktoberfest barometer - When's it gonna be busy at the Munich Oktoberfest in 2024? Find out here and you'll inmprove your chances of getting a table in the beer tents.
▪ Oktoberfest dates - A temporal guide to the Oktoberfest with info about special events and what's going on when at the fest.
▪ Oktoberfest songs - My new site focussing on the music of Oktoberfest! With videos, background info, lyrics in German and English translations. There's also an extensive collection of Oktoberfest songs in English.
▪ Oktoberfest Map - Don't get lost! - A map of the Munich grounds for you to download as a PDF.
▪ Oktoberfest numbers - Who ya gonna call? Important numbers for the Oktoberfest.
▪ Oktoberfest recipes - Recreate the taste of Oktoberfest food with these great recipes.
▪ Oktoberfest parties around the world - It's not just in Munich, ya'know! A guide to Oktoberfest celebrations around the world. Included so far are: Oktoberfest Kitchener - Waterloo, Tempe Oktoberfest, Minster Oktoberfest, Big Bear Oktoberfest, Hickory Oktoberfest.
▪ Horse on the menu at the Munich Oktoberfest
▪ Smoking at Oktoberfest
▪ Swine flu at Oktoberfest ▪ Oktoberfest archives Where the older stories are shelved.
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