Published on September 26th, 2013 | by Rachel Budke
0Oktoberfest
On Saturday during our weekend in Munich, we went to the opening ceremony of Oktoberfest. I was there with Sam and Madison from K-State, and also my roommates Caroline, Melanie and Victoria. The photo above, from left to right, is me, Sam, and Caroline. We booked our trip through the company Bus2Alps, and chose the option to stay in a hostel. They also give an option to stay at a campsite, but I’m glad we didn’t because it was very cold at night. On the other weekends of the Oktoberfest trip, you have the option of going to Oktoberfest on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday. However, since we were there for opening day, the festival didn’t start until noon on Saturday. It worked out well that we booked our trip for the opening weekend, because we all agreed we wouldn’t have wanted to be at Oktoberfest for more than one day.
One thing I would suggest if you are going to Oktoberfest, is to buy lederhosen or a dirndl dress. Theses are the typical outfits to wear at Oktoberfest, and they are sold all throughout the city of Munich. Make sure you search around the city to find the best deals. Typically, dirndls cost anywhere from 40-150 euros. Lederhosen is typically a little bit more expensive. Although it is a little bit of an investment, I’m really glad that I bought a dirndl. It made the experience a little bit more exciting and fun, and now I also have an awesome souvenir!
We arrived at Oktoberfest around 7:30 in the morning, and waited in line at the Hofbräu tent. Around 9:00am, they opened the doors to the tent and everyone rushed inside. It was so crowded that we all got stuck and could not move. It was really hilarious and strange at the same time. Once we got inside the tent, everyone was running around trying to find a table. If you arrive to the tent later in the day, there will not be any spots left. It filled up very quickly. The Hofbräu tent is the biggest tent at Oktoberfest and holds almost 10,000 people. In the tent, there were mostly Germans, Australians and Americans. There are many other tents to choose from, and each one has a different feel.
At noon, the festival officially started! We couldn’t see any of the opening ceremony because everyone was standing up taking pictures. The beer ladies come out and bring steins of beer to your table. A stein is one liter, and if you include a tip, it will cost 10 euros. Our beer lady could hold 12 at a time, and she was maybe 50 or 60 years old! To say “cheers!” you say “prost!”. The tent also sold roasted chicken, German sausages, pretzels, gingerbread, pastries and more. Everything is overpriced, so just keep that in mind before you go. Also, if you need to use the restroom, make sure you get in line early. The line (or crowd, more accurately) is very long.
Sam and I went outside to look at all the rides that were outside. It was really amazing to see, especially at night. We rode the ferris wheel and a swing ride that spun. There were also lots of food stands outside.
Hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about my day at Oktoberfest! Auf Wiedersehen!