So you decided not to fly over the Atlantic to go to the biggest beer festival in the world. That’s fair. Luckily for you, I decided to take a 12-hour bus ride from Rome to Munich to enjoy a weekend of bad decisions and drinking! Long story short, it was amazing. But for more specifics...here's what you missed out on! (P.S. I did try to use gifs exclusively from "Beerfest"...it didn't work.)
1. Beer. Obviously.
The mugs fill about four beers of 7-8 percent alcohol content. A.k.a. everyone is getting wasted. Unfortunately they all cost about 10,30€ so everyone is also getting super broke.
2. Camping. (More specifically, Stoke Travels.)
Imagine a bunch of hippies. Make them all Australian. Their goal in life is to get you stupid drunk by 10 a.m. Welcome to Stoke Oktoberfest.
What you are seeing here is the Stokes of Misfortune. Some of the tasks corresponding to the numbers are Beer Bong (a.k.a. beer funnel), ST8 Arm (a.k.a. drinking a beer with a completely straight arm), and Nudie Run. Yup, lots of nudie runs happened. It was a great fucking time.
3. Tapping of the Keg
Oktoberfest began at noon on Saturday, September 19. To begin the festivities, no one on the festival grounds can drink before the Mayor of Munich officially taps the keg.
4. Chants
Oktoberfest is a soccer game for beer.
5. DAS BOOT
Unfortunately, no, it's not a glass shaped like a boot. IT IS YOUR ACTUAL SHOE. You stand on a table, take off your shoe, pour your beer in it and drink. Gross but entertaining.
6. Rides! And other actual festival-like activities
Surprisingly enough Oktoberfest is like, an actual festival. With a ferris wheel and rides, and a surprising number of little children running around with their parents. Disclaimer: the rides cost nearly as much as the beer, so no one who's there to drink really does it.
7. Pretzels as big as your face!
Need I say more?
8. Germans!
I met a woman born in Munich four weeks after World War II ended. Oktoberfest did not run during the war but began again immediately after it ended. When I asked her how often she has been to the festival, her response: "70 years." This woman has been to Oktoberfest every year since she was born! Amid all the drinking, sometimes we forget that this is a cultural festival for Bavaria and Germans, not just a big drinking game.
9. Beer Tents
All the tents are known for something different! Hofbräu-Festzelt tent is the biggest, holding about 10,000 people. Ochsenbraterei has, according to the aforementioned Munich woman, the best food in festival. Although I didn't have time (or money) to try it, I'm inclined to agree with her, since in the tent is a giant cow spinning over a spit. (During my time there, it was named Toby!)
10. Lederhosens and Dirndls
Lederhosens are for the boys; dirndls for the girls. They also roughly cost about 70€ so obviously I didn't get one. But for the die hards, a.k.a. the people who go more than once, they are a necessity and they seem like a lot of fun!
