Oktoberfest

DMBandit

Has anyone been to Oktoberfest in Munich?

There are about 8 of us going in a couple of weeks. Problem is we have no seats booked in any of the tents and they all seem to be full up. Will this be a problem or is it grand just turning up?

Cheers.

Bluetonic

Head to the HB tent where standing is allowed.

DMBandit

Thanks man, which tent is that?

Also, is it possible to get seats in the other tents anyway simply by getting down early or/and queuing up?

thegills

If you are going for the first Saturday then you need to get to the HB tent before midday otherwise you will get locked out. It gets full of drunk Aussies / Kiwis so is a bit messy anyway and it will be hard to get a drink. I have been going for years and the best plan is the get tanked up in a different tent until about 4ish and then head for the HB tent when the rest are too p1ssed to order.
There are about 11 tents. I like the Lowenbrau tent and the Fischer Vroli tent - lovely beer and you can have great craic with the locals. Sit yourself beside some decent looking Frauleins and you'll have the craic.

backboiler

Avoid the Saturday of the middle weekend. A few hundred thousand Italians (no exaggeration) arrive for the day, take over the tents from early morning - last year there wasn't an empty seat by 09:10 - and they tend to stick around for most of the day. You just can't compete with the sheer numbers. Sunday is back to normal. Sunday afternoon seems to attract families with young children especially outdoors - be careful when stumbling backways. Monday afternoons are popular with pensioners, these can be great crack to chat to, but you may need reasonable German, though any effort is appreciated.

Watch out for puke, coins, keys and other stuff raining down from the funfair rides becuase beer and centrifuge rides tend to mix badly but that's the theme of the whole thing: reasonable idiocy.

As said, Hofbräu-Festzelt (HB) - a 10,000-man affair, third tent on the right coming from main entrance off Bavariaring-North - includes standing room for a thousand people, in all other tents you only get beer if you have a seat. There are very few Bavarians in this standing area and the tourists get sloppy fairly quickly. It's a great introduction to the whole event but it's just a diluted version. For the real thing you want a seat inside a tent. Most tents have some kind of outdoor beer-garden-type seating area as well but you don't get the ridiculous music including the "Ein Prosit" song (more like a drinking metronome) every few minutes. By the time it's played the third time you'll have been taught exactly what to do by those around you.

It's very unlikely you'll get space for 8 of you if you walk around and chance your arm at a bench, far better breaking into groups of 2 or 3 and squeezing into a few places. Once you're in you'll find you can move around freely enough and as people come and go you can swarm back together to fill the empty spaces and get back together over the course of a few hours. You'll also find that after you succeed in the struggle to get the seat you'll spend most of your time standing on it. Getting a seat is an artform in itself, a delicate balance of neck and manners along with a good dose of luck. Don't be overly polite but don't land in without some kind of acknowledgement of those already in the seat. This brings us nicely to the gate-keepers: the serving wenches.
A good wench will spot a likely drinker and tipper and get him or her a seat but don't depend on it: they're kept very busy and are likely to walk through you. Tip them well and you'll have no problem keeping the beer coming to you, piss them off and you'll be left waiting all night. You have only one point of contact with the beer kegs: your serving wench. Keep her (or very occasionally him) sweet at all costs if you intend to stay. You won't get another one until shift change and they don't tend to take orders from outside their own row. Oh and definitely don't call them wenches.

Don't be bollockses and go in, get seats, keep to yourselves and start falling over everyone around you after a few drinks. Talk to the people around you, then start falling around. It makes all the difference.
Don't start, or get involved in, any kind of row. You will get kicked out in seconds and have seven shades battered out of you by the black berets. Apart from that, damn near anything goes. You're in for a life-changing experience, lads...

Bluetonic

Don't be afraid to show some money if you've exhausted your search for seats. A bribe normally mysteriously makes free tables appear and will get you into a tent.

ps It' like nothing you've ever seen before.

DMBandit

Some great tips there, thanks lads!

Anyone else, keep em coming...

By the way, we're going for the last weekend of the festival if that makes any difference?

finbarrk

All the weekends are mad crowded. Better off sticking to the weekdays.

DMBandit

Flights already booked i'm afraid. Has anyone been on the last weekend?

backboiler

Over the last 9 years I've seen all the days except the two bonus days in 2006. You can have a good time any day. Weekends are more crowded but that usually adds to the atmosphere. I think I've been there for the last weekend three times and it's special. There's a buzz around on the Sunday night at 10 or so as things finish up for the year. Every last person standing on the tables belting out the last song in the tent.

Bluetonic

DMBandit wrote: »

Some great tips there, thanks lads!

Anyone else, keep em coming...

By the way, we're going for the last weekend of the festival if that makes any difference?

The last Saturday is a public holiday in Germany (Unity Day), the place will be worse that a normal Saturday. I was there for the Friday last year which was the public holiday and the tents were closed with large queues at 9.30am. I expect the Friday will be busy earlier than a normal Friday too.

Irish Gunner

5 lads going over the 2nd last weekend last time I was there was in my backpacking days in 93

Arrive early on the Friday so is it that difficult to get a seat or if one tent is full just move onto the next? Dont want to prebook as it just means you have to be there at a certain time and more than likely we wont be able to breath no mind stan:D

Also want to experience the beer in the city after or go to see 1860 play on the Sunday anyone doing this or just drinking full time:)

munchkin_utd

DMBandit wrote: »

Flights already booked i'm afraid. Has anyone been on the last weekend?

Was down the last Sunday of the fest last year and had no problem getting into a tent. We tried the Horbräu as theres standy up tables and you can always get served there and it was no problem.
This ease of getting into a tent though was due to the warm weather as all the germans wanted to sit in the beergardens outside the tents.
If it was raining you'd not have a hope in hell of landing in the afternoon and getting in.

And a little insider knowledge if i read it correctly from the paper.
On busy days this year, right from the beginning (normaly its only from when they are already full) the front doors will not be open and you'll have to go through the back/ side door.
So if you are queing waiting to get in at 8 in the morning make sure you are queueing at the right door!!

Irish Gunner

Just back and it was bedlam Yes there were loads of tents 10of which we got to 7. If you are not in one by even 4pm forget it you wont get a seat inside. As it was sunny we sat outside. On the Sat night we queued for an hour to get into one. Was there early on the Sunday 11am and no problem with getting in but left about 3 and it was beginning to build up again

Also the Hofbrauhaus in the city centre was packed. On reflection may have reserved a table but not sure if they charge you. Average price of a beer is €8.60 other tents more expensive