Oktoberfest is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It is held every year starting the third weekend of September and lasts until the first weekend of October. I was able to go this year and even though I barely planned out anything, I had the time of my life.
If you are planning to go to Oktoberfest in the future, I would definitely recommend planning ahead and knowing the tricks of the trade to make sure you have the best time of your life.
1. The cups are really heavy.
One of the girls in my study abroad program was kind enough to give me this heads up. No one tells you, but the cups are seriously heavy, and one cup is equal to a liter of beer. I honestly could barely hold my cup up for longer than a minute. Therefore, either don't walk around with it, or use two hands. I guess you could also do some serious arm-days at the gym to prepare beforehand.
2. If you don't have a reservation, you need to get there early.
Reservations for tables close in May, but don't worry, you can still get in. If you're like me and didn't realize you'd be going to Oktoberfest until two weeks before, then there are definitely some tricks you're going to need to know in order to get some beer.
The gates for Oktoberfest open at 8am, but you should plan to be there at the latest 7am. Also, there are two lines and then one giant mob of people waiting to get in. If you can, get in one of the lines! They go in first. I went in the line and did some serious cutting to get to the front. If you're going to line-cut, be sneaky or have friends at the top of the line.
Once you get into the gates, it is literally a sprint to the tents. No, seriously, we were running, and the police were taking videos of us. It was hilarious and also terrible at the same time.
3. Once you get to the tent, get in the front and mad dash to a table.
You will be waiting for about an hour until the actual doors to the tent opens. We literally sprinted to HB and thought we were close to the front. It turned out, they only opened one set of doors which we were not standing at. We had to run and push our way to the entrance. Then we literally sprinted to a table.
4. You only get served if you are sitting at a table.
They will not serve you if you are just standing around. You have to be a table to get a beer. So seriously, once you're inside, make moves to a table and sit down.
5. HB is the place to be.
HB is one of the biggest and most popular tents. We were lucky enough to spend the majority of the day there. It also is the most American tent so the occasional USA chant would erupt in the crowd. If you can, I'd recommend going to HB first.
6. If you get kicked out for reservations, tell the security guards you have a reservation.
So funny story, I went to go see one of my friends from school and sat with her for a bit. Then, when I tried to go back to the girls I came with, they were herding people outside because there were reservations at 10:30 and 11:00 coming in. I got caught in the wave being herded out.
I tried to tell the guards that my friends were still here and they literally pushed me out. So here I am, outside HB alone and all my friends inside and me with very little way to contact them. I decided to go around to every guard and tell them I had a reservation. They told me to go to the "West side" which I had no idea where it was. When I got to the exit, I asked the guard were the West side for reservations was. He pointed me to a door around back and in they let me. I was able to find my friends and get more beer, which, if you're lucky, you would pay for.
Another time, we went to a different tent, and I guess there was a line I didn't notice, but I, leading the group of six, walked right up to the door and told the guard I had a reservation at 1:00. He instantly let us all in. No questions asked.
I was able to find a table for us next to some nice Germans and they bought us beer, which is like $12.
Moral of the story, either get a reservation, or don't bother and tell everyone adamantly that you have one.
7. Pace yourself!
Seriously pace yourself. The beers are huge and honestly you only need two for the day. A lot of people were chugging their beers and I bet they were the same ones passed out on the lawn.
It is a marathon not a sprint.
If you're going to Oktoberfest, be smart, stay with your friends, and have the time of your life!
