Oktoberfest

Friday October 2nd
"There is no way I'll be spending a year in Germany and not go to Oktoberfest" was my answer to a question frequently asked of me before I left the United States. Luckily, ESN Heidelberg had reserved 50 seats for Friday October 2nd. We left Heidelberg at 6am and stopped by our hostel in Dachau to drop our stuff off. We got to Theresienwiese (the Oktoberfest grounds) at 11:30. The table was reserved for us from 12pm until 4pm.

Only beer brewed in München is allowed to be served at Oktoberfest. The beer comes in one size, Maß (pronounce mass), equivalent to one Liter.

In my mind I had imagined the festival to be chaotic. Even with more than six million visitors per year, it is quite tame. This is because the festival is strict on the purchase of beer. Beer can only be bought inside the ornate tents (which are not actually tents but warehouse like buildings) and is not allowed to be taken outside.

Even inside the tents, if you are not seated you are not allowed to buy a beer. On top of that, getting a seat without a reservation made months in advance is practically impossible. Weißwurst (a Bavarian dish of white sausage) with a few Maß of Paulaner Beer and the singing of German festival songs was the norm and before we knew it, our four hours were up.

The rest of the grounds were like any other festival, amusement rides and kiosks selling a range of goods from trinkets to sweets.  

Tips:    Make a reservation months in advance otherwise you won't get a seat.

            Get to the train station early, because at 11:30pm it felt more crowded than the festival, and             you might miss the last train, which would be inconvenient if you are not staying within

            walking distance of the festival grounds.