Oktoberfest has officially begun. Last weekend mammoth-sized draught horses pulled old wooden carts from a bygone era through the cobbled streets of Munich to the Theresienwiese — or “Wies’n” if you’re a local. The massive fairground is the home to 15 tents from Bavaria’s major breweries, huge twirling fair rides, bubbling pots of cheese soup and smoking grills of sausages, and a city’s worth of people all there for one thing — to get very drunk on very good beer.
Hitting up Munich for Oktoberfest (always in September by the way) is a rite of passage for wanderlusting backpackers and beer pilgrims alike. There’s just something about getting sloppy drunk with millions of other people at the same time. It’s as fun as everyone raves about. The chickens are perfectly grilled. The pretzels are huge. And the beer really is that delicious.
So let’s jump in a take a look at what we missed in Munich over the opening weekend of Oktoberfest. FYI, the closing weekend is October third. So you still have time to book a last minute ticket over for a Maß or five to wash down one of those huge pretzels.
BEER
The beer really is the point of a great Oktoberfest. Augustiner, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Spatenbräu, and Hofbräu all have tents with an endless flow of their freshly made lagers and hefeweizens. Pro-Tip, make a reservation if you’re in a party of over four or face standing in line to get in. And if you’re forced to stand in line, arrive around nine AM to avoid that line. It adds a few extra hours of drinking that won’t disappoint.
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FOOD
One thing’s for sure at Oktoberfest, you won’t go hungry. There’s plenty of heavy-hitting food to soak up all that beer. Each of the tents has its own character and menu. The Ochsenbraterei in the Spatenbräu tent is famous for roasting a whole ox over a fire. Yes, you read that correctly. They roast an entire ox like a Costco roasts a chicken. Other tents specialize in dumplings, whole roasted fish (steckerlfisch), and an array of tasty sausages. Outside the tents you’ll find less traditional foods like burgers, kebabs, and the usual fried and sugary fair food you find all over the western world.
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PARTY
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For many, hitting Oktoberfest is a once in a lifetime trip. Make the most of it. With a full belly and table full of one-liter beers (that’s a 34-ounce beer), it’s time to party … hard. Oktoberfest is the sort of place you can walk into solo and when you walk out into the cool Munich night, you’ll have made a few friends for life.
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