More than seven million tourists are descending on the German city of Munich for this year’s Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest beer festival.
This two-and-a-half week celebration is an ode to Bavarian folk tradition that dates back some 200 years. But with parades, fair rides, traditional food and music, enormous crowds and, of course, lots of drink, it can be a little daunting for the uninitiated.
To avoid being called a ‘saupreusse’ – dumb tourist – you need to know the etiquette. Navigating the world’s biggest beer festival will be a whole lot simpler with these insider tips.
Never call it Oktoberfest
Locals call it the Wiesn, which essentially translates to the meadow. The reason for this is that it takes place on a giant meadow known as the Theresienwiese.
Wear the right garb
Lederhosen and Dirndl are not compulsory and you won’t be frowned upon for wearing your regular clothes. However, if you’re going to commit, do it properly. If you show up in cheap stag-and-hen-party fancy dress, you risk offending local attendees.
Book a table and show up early
Tents open at 10am on weekdays and 9am on weekends. Booking a table will ensure a much nicer experience and shorten queue time. If you don’t have a reservation, you need to get there much earlier to snag a table. Locals will even line up as early as 6am, despite the first beer not being poured until noon.
Pick your tent wisely
There are 14 main tents, each able to fit between 5,000 and 11,000 people, and each enjoys a wholly different vibe. Some are more family oriented, others are focused on the food, while others are known for their high concentration of tourists, so figure out which is best for you before going.
Say ‘cheers’ like a local
There’s a particular way to clink those traditional Oktoberfest steins – the famous beer glasses. Bavarians generally clink glasses at the bottom, and don’t forget to say ‘prost’ and make eye contact while toasting.
Take cash. Lots of it.
Few tents are able to accept cards, and servers are so busy that they’re going to be reluctant to use them. If you don’t want to be ignored, hit an ATM but bear in mind there are very few available on site and queues are long. Also, each beer is likely to cost around €11.
Don’t overdo it
The only beer at Oktoberfest is beer brewed by Munich’s six breweries: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu München, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner. These special Oktoberfest brews are around 6%, so are a little stronger than what you might be used to, so be careful. Being called a ‘bierleichen,’ beer corpse, is not a good look.
Oktoberfest 2019 runs from 21 September to 6 October, and Oktoberfest 2020 takes places between September 19 to October 4.
