My 5 Must-Dos on Oktoberfest

This year's Oktoberfest ended one week ago.

I've lived in Munich for 3 years (with interruptions) so I'm not an authority on Oktoberfest. But I can suggest 5 Must-Dos for an awesome day at the world's biggest festival:








1. Start partying in a tent at 10 in the morning:

Nobody will argue that the tents are where all the party happens.
Especially on weekends the atmosphere is awesome! However, getting into a tent and getting a table on said weekends can be pretty hard. Because let's be honest - if you're not a born Münchner you hardly stand a chance to get a reservation. So getting up early and standing in line, anxiously hoping to get in, is neccessary. But you will be rewarded with great beer, food and a lot of fun.

Standing in line at 8 am

Once the "Bierausschank" starts (they start selling beer around 10 am) you can watch the guys hopping onto the tables trying to down their first Maß (1-liter-beer jug).

Obviously, have one or more Maß is a must. However, downing it is your decision. If you try, be prepared to get booed if you don't make it.

And on how to spend the rest of your time in a tent I can only advise: drink beer, eat Hendl, sing, dance on benches and enjoy :)

Hacker Tent - Bavarians' Heaven

2. Drink'n'drink'n'drink and eat'n'eat'n'eat

Enjoy the fresh Oktoberfest-Beer and some delicious food like a "Brezn" (pretzel) or "Hendl mit Kartoffelsalat" (roasted chicken with potato salad).
Outside of the tents there are also tons of booth that sell sweets like caramelized almonds or the famous gingerbread hearts displaying all kinds of sayings or lovers' nicknames.

Maß and caramelized almonds...yummy

Jugs

"I love you"

No Euros at hand? Just pay with the old German currency D-Mark!

3. Get on one of the fun rides

Oktoberfest is not only for drunk party people. It's also a nice festival for families with all the colorful fun rides. So get on one! I advise the ferris wheel because the view from above is awesome.

View from the ferris wheel

4. People watching at Tobbogan

Of all the fun rides, Tobbogan is my favorite even though I haven't even been on it! I just love watching the people riding it, especially when they're a little tipsy.
Tobbogan is one of the oldest rides on Oktoberfest, it has been there for 80 years. It's a simple slide but to get up there you need to get on some kind of conveyor belt. Keeping your balance on this conveyor belt seems to be pretty hard because people tumble and fall all over the place. Women and kids usually get a little help by the staff but men mostly want to try it on their own. I've seen a lot of guys doing involuntary somersaults, guys being dragged up by their collar from the staff and I've also seen a lot of butts from tumbling people. It's hilarious!

Successful Tobbogan surfer

butt alert

5. Finish the night at an After-Wiesn-Party

If you haven't had enough party after a whole day of beer, tents and rides you can end the night at one of the many After-Wiesn-Parties. Really famous is the Wiesnclub right behind the statue of Bavaria. At Wiesnclub basically everybody will be wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl. The further you get away from the festival site the more people in normal clothes you'll find. But whatever you're wearing, you'll definitely have some fun at Oktoberfest!

Wiesnclub

Bavaria watches over everything

Of course this selection of Must-Dos is just a tiny part of all the stuff you can do on Oktoberfest and I guess there's not right or wrong way to do it. Just make sure you enjoy every second :)
But for this year, it's Good-bye, auf Wiedersehen and Pfüa Gott. See you next year!