Oktoberfest Munich: What You Need To Know | Guidester (2024)

Oktoberfest Munich is officially the largest ‘Peoples’ fair in the world, with over six million annual attendees in recent years. The great festival covers over one hundred acres of ground in Munich’s city center.

Oktoberfest is truly a unique experience one should see at least once in their life. The clearest way I can describe it is a perfect combination of great beer, great food, great music, great people, and a sea of beautiful women.

But, Oktoberfest is not all about booze and boobs, it’s about good humored frivolity, celebration and camaraderie. And, it’s about celebrating a historic tradition: the royal wedding of Ludwig I, and the massive party he threw afterward for the Bavarians that has perpetuated to this day.

Beer Tents

The entrance to the Munich Oktoberfest and its beer tents is in general free. In case of overcrowding, however, a reservation can be required to get into certain tents at certain times.

One of the most important things about Oktoberfest are the tents (which are more like permanent looking warehouses than tents). There are fourteen of them scattered around the fair grounds, mostly along the main avenue.

Every tent has a different personality. No two tents are the same and every one serves its own beer (which are the breweries each tent is named after). If you want a well rounded experience of Oktoberfest you need to visit as many tents as you can. Some are very rowdy whereas some are more mild.

Read More: Beer Tents | Beer Tents | Oktoberfest.de – The Oktoberfest Website

The most famous tent (Hofbrau) is always a good time, but it’s usually jam packed. The Schottenhameltent is where the mayor taps the first keg officially beginning the festival. Augustiner tent is a personal favorite, filled with a lot of younger people to party with.

Best thing to do is wander around a bit and find your own vibe. But a lot of the tents will be overloaded, and reservations will be needed. These are easy to get and some of them you can get just a few days before.

An important thing to remember is that most tents require you to sit at a table to order beer. The best plan, if you are like me and don’t really have a plan, is to just show up early, get a table at any tent, get your drinks in, then wait until about mid-day until everybody is already drunk and you can pretty much roam through the tents freely.

Tricks of the Trade

If you aren’t having fun at Oktoberfest, no matter what you’re doing, then you’re doing something wrong. There are always ways to have a little more fun by being aware of a few cultural observations made by previous patrons.

1) Invest in a Lederhosen (Guy) or Dirndl (Girl). Some can be very pricey, but if you look in the right place you will be able to find them at a reasonable rate. It’s worth the money, trust me.

2) Know the Dirndl code: The little bow around the waste is more than merely decorative. It signifies their marital status. If it’s on the left side she’s single, on the right she’s taken, and if it’s in the middle then she’s a virgin.

3) Make a Reservation. A lot of tents allow you to call just a night or two before so it’s always worth a check. If you don’t make a reservation get there early. Tents open at 9am. The best thing to do if you don’t have a reservation is to get there early, stay until midday, then the entry lines at other tents should have died down.

4) Know the German drinking songs. The most popular one (which is sung every 20 minutes) is Ein Prosit.

Read More: Oktoberfest song lyrics, Bavarian drinking songs

5) Come prepared with a few basic German phrases. These are the most important ones:

-A Beer Please: Ein Bier bitte

-Thank You: Danke

-A more polite and personable Thank You: Danke Schoen

-Cheers: Prost! (with emphasis)

-You are beautiful: Du Bis Winderschön

-You have nice eyes: Ich mag deine Augen

Many people come to Oktoberfest every year thinking they are going to stay a week or more, and drink everyday yadda yadda.

The reality is after a couple full days of drinking with Germans, you are reallllly hurting. I would suggest plan on two days at Oktoberfest, should be plenty, and then maybe a day or two for just checking out the main sights of the city. Munich on its own is one of Europe’s best places to visit!