So you can’t make it to Munich this year for the world-famous festival of dirndls and steins of beer -- have no fear, there’s hope on this side of the Atlantic. In Ohio alone, there are plenty of local Oktoberfests that are guaranteed to show you a great time. I recently attended the fest in the little town of Minster, Ohio, whose annual version is attended by thousands of people, locals and out-of-towners alike. When you go, you’ll be greeted with people running around with milk jugs full of beer, amazing smells from the food tents, and questionable headwear.
Here are five things you can’t miss doing at Oktoberfest.
1. Buying a jug of beer
This is the most economical way to enjoy Oktoberfest. Five tickets gets you one jug of beer, which lasts you for a very long time. You can choose the type of beer you want and they’ll fill it up, and you’re good to go. P.S.: There’s no shame in using two hands to lift it. They're heavy.
2. Perusing the food tent
Besides the beer, the food is easily one of the biggest draws of Oktoberfest, and for good reason. There are turkey legs and cabbage rolls, sauerkraut balls, and apple dumplings. I ate myself straight into a food coma and did not regret a second of it.
3. Walking around the vendor tent
This is where local artists and entrepreneurs come to display their work. The tent is massive and sectioned off in groups of four, so you have to keep weaving in and out of it. We saw some really cool items and others that were, ah, questionable.
Believe me, there were worse. It was faintly horrifying.
4. Purchasing questionable headwear
It seems that quirky hats are commonplace at the Minster fest -- traditional German Tyrolean hats were everywhere, in every color. Some decorated theirs with pins and ribbons, while others left them plain. There were also vendors walking around with chicken hats, which were immensely popular.
I did not partake in the chicken hat trend.
5. Listening to the live band
Minster's festival boasts a live band that plays through the full course of the fest. They play everything from traditional German polkas to modern country to good ol' patriotic songs. Not kidding, "My Country Tis of Thee" played for an hour. Straight. I didn't know Samuel Francis Smith had composed that many refrains.
Fall is a time for boots and scarves and Oktoberfests. There's just something about gathering with a ton of other people for the express purpose of getting absurdly large jugs of beer and stuffing your face with things like giant turkey legs and sauerkraut balls. If you ever have the chance, head to Minster the first weekend of October. You won't regret it.
