Attending Munich’s Oktoberfest was a long-held dream of mine, and it surpassed all expectations! More than just a beer festival, Oktoberfest is a celebration of Bavarian tradition with a progressive twist. Slipping into traditional Bavarian lederhosen, I immediately felt a deep connection to the rich cultural heritage. The festival buzzed with energy, featuring folk music, scrumptious local cuisine, and a vibrant mix of locals and tourists in festive attire. For me, Oktoberfest in Munich was the perfect way to explore local culture and connect with the past in the most amazing way.
Catch a Glimpse of Mighty Oktoberfest
Have you ever been to an amazing beer festival? That’s Oktoberfest! It’s a giant party in Munich, Germany, lasting almost for three weeks. It happens every year, starting in late September and ending on the first Sunday of October. Why the party? Well, it all began in 1810 when a prince married. The people of Munich were invited to celebrate, and they had so much fun they decided to make it a yearly thing!
Over the years, more and more people worldwide have come to join the fun. It’s a giant celebration with beer, food, and fun activities. This festival is so famous that there are even smaller Oktoberfest celebrations around the world, but the original in Munich is the one and only!
How did my Oktoberfest start?
Day after landing in Munich and lodging in one of the hotels in the city center, my Oktoberfest experience began the very next day. From Public transportation to the restaurants, everything was hyping for Beerfest.
Started with the Opening Day at Schottenhamel Tent
If you are lucky enough, like me, join the Beerfest on the very first day. It was a bit overwhelming, with hundreds of thousands of people standing in lines and waiting anxiously to enter the festival. The opening hours are more crowded than usual. The mayor of Munich tries his full to keg the tap in a few blows in the bear barrel at the Schottenhamel at 12 o’clock. Drinks are available before noon and after the opening hours, except for beer, on the first day of Beerfest, which can be gulped after the mayor exclaims, “O’zapft is! This decades-old tradition marks the beginning of 16-18 days of festivities. Witnessing the keg ceremony was like experiencing a cultural tradition unlike any other.
Tents Serving Beer from Big Six
There are tons of Oktoberfest beer tents on the fairground. Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Augustiner Brau, Hacker–Pschorrbrau are few names in all the tents. A total of 17 big and 21 small tents make up the Oktoberfest grounds. It’s said that around 5-7 million people visit Oktoberfest Munich every year, but seeing the queue, I felt it was more than that. On opening day, the lines outside the beer tents were a little extra, but advance booking helped me find a spot in one of the big tents. What really amazed me was knowing that “Only beer brewed in Munich abiding Purity law” is served in tents from one of the six breweries.
Prost with Strangers
Sitting and sharing the table at Munich Oktoberfest is very common. In minutes, strangers become beer companions, clinking the beer steins, laughing, and excitedly bucking up “Prost” (or, in English, cheers). Holding a liter of beer, stein felt like lifting a dumbbell. I could handle half a liter of beer mast. The waitresses were terrific! They carried six to seven giant beer steins in each hand, but I couldn’t even lift one. (Maybe I should hit the gym next time!) I don’t remember the people we met, but we joined their table and told them a funny story. We snuck into the beer garden by crawling through a hole in a bush! They seemed to enjoy our adventure.
Devouring The German Food
A visit to Oktoberfest is incomplete without enjoying Bavarian delicacies. A list of sweet and savory dishes is available. Finding vegan and vegetarian options along with the meaty dishes was amusing. Caramelized nuts and rather tasty giant heart cookies made us feel high, nice, and happy. You can find a big whole chicken in the local language, “Hendl,” in almost every tent and food stall in Oktoberfest Munich. One tip I give to anyone planning to visit Beerfest is to enjoy drinks after devouring a full meal. This classic dish is strongly seasoned and cooked in an open flame. The chicken is very crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside with a rich, buttery flavor. Bratwurst, Pretzels, sweet dumplings, Obatzda, and pork knuckles are some of the other must-try Oktoberfest hits.
Everyone is Dressed in “Tracht”
People come from all over the world to celebrate Bavarian culture, but 85% are locals. At Oktoberfest, both locals and tourists are seen wearing traditional clothes. Girls wear dresses called Dirndls, and boys wear leather shorts called Lederhosen. On the first Sunday, there’s a big parade with people from different countries. Seeing everyone dressed up and having a good time is a lot of fun! I, too, bought my lederhosen from one of the Bavarian specialty online store right before visiting Beerfest.
Enjoying the Carnival Rides
The carnival rides and funfair atmosphere make you feel you have entered a giant theme park somewhere in the USA. Games, thrilling rides, and even spooky haunted houses are great options for anyone who is young and young at heart. The wellenflung, feld’s teufelsrad, Ferris wheel, Skyfall, Pitt’s Todeswand, and all the fascinating carnival rides are available to keep everyone entertained. Flip Fly and The Wild Mouse were my personal favorites. Tuesdays are family days at Oktoberfest, and it’s when prices for the rides go down.
Traditional Folk Music
What is Oktoberfest without traditional music? All the tents were having their own musical fest. Oktoberfest isn’t just about one kind of music! You’ll hear fun, bouncy tunes that make you want to wave your arms and clap along. But there’s more to it than that. There’s also music with electric guitars that will get you pumped up. Basically, Oktoberfest music is a mix of old and new, all played loud and proud. You’ll be singing along so much you might lose your voice, but that’s part of the fun! Though I didn’t understand the lyrics, the melodies were definitely pleasing to the ears. A lot of songs are repeated in every Oktoberfest rendition. Learning a song or two means to feel truly like a part of the festival.
Took Back Home Memories
Oktoberfest was such a fun experience that it gave me a chance to gel in with the local community. I enjoyed some really good food while slurping on locally brewed beer. For many, Oktoberfest is all about drinking beer. I have experienced the traditional aspect all along. The entertainment, men in lederhosen and women in fancy dirndl dresses, carnival rides, keg tapping ceremony, and locals making sure you have the time of your life made the “Oktoberfest experience truly amazing for me.” A little fun fact: Oktoberfest nowadays is celebrated in almost every corner of the world, but Oktoberfest Munich is OG for a reason.
Instead of carrying around a thick guide book which forces visitors to stare down at the tiny print and flip pages, a great option for those seeking to learn about the war-related history is to sign up for Sandeman’s New Europe, Third Reich walking tour. For 12 euro, my journey through the dark history began at the center of the city, at the beautiful Marienplatz. Immediately, the tour guide, who was a walking treasure chest of knowledge instructed the group of 10-15 people to look up at our surroundings. After explaining how the majority of the area was completely bombed out during World War II, he pointed to the main spires of the Marienplatz, and the giant green domes from the Frauenkirche. He explained how the bomber jets from the allied forces used them as landmarks in their bombing campaign, therefore they were spared and remained mostly intact. Chills immediately shot down my spine, as I felt the realness in which surrounded me. This was real, and these were not events which took place in the Dark Ages; this was a time that our close relatives could have lived through. It was a time in which the desperation of the German people gave way to the rise of a former painter from Austria, and allowed Adolf Hitler to guide his people, and the world into a conflict that took the lives of nearly 85 million people.
Walking through the streets of the 1,000-year-old city would lead most to believe that the surrounding buildings go back hundreds of years, but they would be greatly mistaken. Following the rise of Adolf Hitler in the early 1930s, Munich became the birthplace of the Nazi Party, and eventually one of the biggest targets for the allies during World War II. The result was thousands of bombs being droppedtact on the city, and to this day, an estimated 2,000 un-detonated bombs are still buried beneath the city. Since nearly 90 percent of the city was completely demolished, everything has been rebuilt, and reconstructed in the 70 years since to end of the war. While construction continues in the Bavarian capital, bombs are still discovered on a weekly basis, and teams have to come in to safely detonate the bombs which range anywhere from 4 lbs to 22,000 lbs. Our tour guide told stories how entire street blocks have to be closed, and entire apartment complexes cleared out when one is discovered. Life goes on, and the residents of Munich accept it as if it is nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Prior to the air-raids by allied troops, Adolf Hitler was well aware that Munich would be a major target, and knew the city would be leveled. Planning ahead, he ordered photos be taken throughout the city, so that when the war ended, the city could be built exactly as it was prior to its near destruction. Following the death of Hitler and the fall of the Nazi’s, the German people voted to restore the city to its old glory, resulting in a complete rebuild. Since everything has been rebuilt, it gives visitors a unique perspective roaming the streets, and ducking into beer halls and cafes that fill the city. While the history is thick, and I could nearly feel it hanging in the air, it also felt like stepping into a movie set. Along the guided tour, we were taken to places of historical significance, such as the world-famous Hofbräuhaus. We were taken upstairs into the beautiful beer hall, and shown the place where the Nazi leader once spoke. However, the reality is that the building is a complete replication of the original, somewhat taking away some of the powerfulness which stood before me. It is fascinating, yet saddening how such beautiful architecture and sights were destroyed, but in spite of the restoration, there is still the ghost of the German dictator that echoes throughout the halls.
