Our advice. The whole truth about the Oktoberfest beer festival, Munich, Germany (personal experience) After the Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a real holiday for adults and children. More than 30 attractions, costumed processions and other events await festival guests.

Oktoberfest Events

The main events that repeat year after year at Oktoberfest include the procession of beer tent owners, the opening ceremony of the first beer barrel and the costume procession. The first morning of Oktoberfest celebrations begins with a beautiful procession during which festive horse carts carry barrels of beer through the center of Munich to Theresa Meadow. This is followed by the opening ceremony of the first beer barrel. At 12 noon, the current mayor of Munich drives the tap into the first barrel of beer. When the tap is completely driven in, the burgomaster shouts “O’zapft is!”, which means “Uncorked!” After this, Oktoberfest is considered officially open. On the first Sunday of the holiday there is a costume procession. People in historical and national costumes walk from the Bavarian parliament building to Theresa Meadow. The procession is attended by city and Bavarian officials, representatives from Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy and other countries, as well as orchestras, shooting societies and festive horse teams. You can find a schedule of Oktoberfest events on the official festival website. It is also worth mentioning that access to the brewery parade on the first Saturday of the festival and the costume parade on the first Sunday is only possible by pre-booking a ticket. Ticket prices for 2015 are 24.5 euros and 35 euros, respectively.

Oktoberfest rides

Oktoberfest features more than 30 attractions for children and adults. They work from 10-00 to 24-00. Here you can ride both traditional leisurely carousels and modern attractions, which will take your breath away just looking at them. These include:

Alpina Bahn is a roller coaster without loops. The carriages accelerate to speeds of about 80 km/h, and visitors can feel a state of weightlessness for a few seconds.
Cyberspace is made in the likeness of a giant pendulum, which, swinging, reaches a height of about 47 meters. The cabin, which can accommodate 8 visitors, swings freely around its axis. Anyone whose height is above 140 cm can ride.
The Frisbee is another variation of the pendulum with a disc-shaped booth that seats up to 40 people. The maximum tilt angle of the disk, which also rotates around its axis, is 180 degrees.
Olympia Looping is a roller coaster whose name comes from the five rings - “loops” present on this attraction and reminiscent of the Olympic rings. The carriages here accelerate to a speed of 100 km/h, and the total track length is 1250 meters.

photo: Andreas Steinhoff

People with a weak vestibular system are better off just standing next to these attractions and taking a ride on the Riesenrad Ferris wheel. It raises the booths to a height of 50 meters, offering stunning views of the entire Oktoberfest and Munich.

The best result for opening the first beer barrel was shown by burgomaster Christian Uhde in 2006 - 1 blow. The worst result was shown in 1950 by Thomas Wimmer, who introduced this tradition
on the official Oktoberfest website there is a meadow barometer (Wiesnbarometer), which shows the occupancy of tents
in a tent Fischer-Vroni, every second Monday of the holiday, representatives of sexual minorities gather
The holiday's turnover is about 500 million euros
The festival is attended by approximately 7 million people
Medical care is provided by the Bavarian Red Cross. For people in need of emergency care there is a special room and even a small operating room
there are special family days during the holiday, during which prices for attractions are reduced
visiting Oktoberfest with strollers is allowed until 18-00
for families with small children there is a family square (Familienplatz), which has attractions for the little ones, as well as parking for strollers, changing facilities, tables and high chairs for feeding children
Oktoberfest beer mugs are the most popular item to be stolen during the festival

How to get to Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, where many flights regularly fly from many Russian cities. The cheapest ticket from Moscow to Munich on the Aviasales website for September 18, 2015 can be purchased for only 9,278 rubles.

By public transport, it is better to get to Theresa Meadow, where Oktoberfest takes place, by metro (U-Bahn) or train (S-Bahn). The closest metro station to Oktoberfest is called Theresienwiese. It can be reached by lines U4 and U5. However, given the number of people wishing to get to Theresienwiese on this day, it is better to take lines U3 and U6 and get to Goetheplatz or Poccistrasse stations, and walk from there. By train lines S1 and S8 you need to get to Hackerbrücke station, from there walk about 10 minutes to Theresa Meadow.

Where to stay for Oktoberfest

Munich has a developed transport network, so you can look for a hotel or apartment outside the city center. This will save on price and get rid of the noise of the big city. The cheapest option on September 18 is 32 euros per person per night. The most expensive is 600 euros. The Roomguru website presents more than 500 hotels and apartments in Munich: choose yours and discover the best autumn festival in Germany - Oktoberfest.

Yesterday I was at Oktoberfest. A professional programmer bore, that is, I, was once again convinced that commerce invariably destroys the spirit of a good folk festival. Beer festival and Oktoberfest are as incompatible concepts as comfortable shoes and Crocs. About why there is no beer at Oktoberfest - below the cut!

Oktoberfest takes place in a vast area near the center of Munich. It originated in the 19th century as a folk festival, but somehow surprisingly stood out from a series of similar beer festivals and became a global tourist event. With all the downsides of a multi-million dollar business venture.

Before going to Oktoberfest, I left my motorcycle in my friend’s yard so that I could get drunk and return home drunk on the subway. (I also left my camera at home, so all the photos are from my instagram .) But it was not possible to achieve the desired state at the O-fest.

So, revelation number one: it is very difficult to buy beer at O-fest. To sweetly suck on the glass rim of an ice glass, you must first take a seat. Each visitor is assigned to one seat. If you want a beer, sit down. Finding a free place at a festival that attracts 6.5 million people from all over the world is not easy. The organizing committee has provided benches in a huge tent (the squeak!), or on the street next to the tent. For some reason the latter are called biergarten, although there was not a single tree at the entire festival. Tent spots are as popular as the new iPhone. People come to occupy the place at dawn. By 10 a.m., the tents are usually packed down and new people are not allowed inside. Those who entered the tent by hook or by crook or with a Euro bribe can no longer leave it, since it will be impossible to return here after leaving under the tarpaulin canopy. A typical day at Oktoberfest is spent sitting in one place, on an orange oak bench, from the very morning until the strength leaves the body. There are a lot of tents at the festival, matching the number of breweries, but by lunchtime they all hang a sign above the entrance that says “tent is full, entry closed.”

So you can see what the festival area looks like, here is a photo from Wikipedia. The elongated houses in the left half of the frame are those same beer tents, each of which belongs to a different brewery.
Revelation number two: you cannot walk around the festival grounds with beer. If luck smiled on you, and the Cerberus guard let you inside the tent, where you hastily ordered beer, left a generous tip and ate a half-meter pretzel, then you will soon become bored. You can order beer again, eat the pretzel again, and order beer again. With a large group of friends this will not be a problem, but if your group is less than four people and you see each other often, then you will soon run out of topics for conversation. You can’t grab a beer and go shoot at a shooting range or go on an amusement ride. The beer will need to be left in the tent and at the table where you bought it. On the street you will want beer again, but the bridges to the old tent have been burned, and to any other you need to repeat the procedure of standing in the crowd and putting pressure on the guard. It's easier to go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of beer there.

To have fun at Oktoberfest, it is better to gather with a large group of friends, reserve a place in a tent in advance and spend the whole day under the roof. For the reservation you need to pay a deposit: 50 euros per person. A liter glass of beer costs 10 euros, that is, a deposit requires that a person has a bloody nose, but drinks 5 liters of beer. Or I drank four liters of beer and ate half a grilled chicken. The tents have a large stage and many, many thousands of seats. After lunch, dancing on the tables begins in the tents. From the perspective of a sober visitor who would be happy to get drunk, but could not find an empty bench, dancing in a tent looks wild. It's another matter if you get drunk first! But there won't be any beer until you sit down. The harsh truth of O-fest.

Busty beauties, serving seven or eight glasses of beer per approach, work with drunk men from early morning. By evening they completely go wild. There are legends about working at O-fest. Allegedly, waiters earn 500 euros in tips per day. Part of this income was achieved through blatant extortion: when paying for beer, waitresses are not shy about snapping, “There’s no change,” or indignant, “Where’s my tip?”

The approach to the tents is cordoned off with red and white tape, and there is a guard at each entrance. An irregular working day also awakens the beast in him: he pushes and yells at the crowd of teetotalers, pressing with their chests on the checkpoint, dreaming of getting into the coveted tent. Pleasure is not for everyone.

Without a reserved table, the path to beer is closed.

There is one advantage to limited access to the tents at O-Fest: people walking around the festival grounds are sober. Anyone who has reached a glass of beer (read: taken a place in the tent early in the morning) can no longer leave the tent, so he does not eat sausages on the street and does not ride on the attractions. The atmosphere on the festival grounds is surprisingly calm and safe. There are very few free drinkers, which is surprising considering that beer is sold in liter containers, and the deposit requires 5 liters of beer per person. From time to time, an ambulance drives through a crowd of people with chocolate-covered bananas and cotton candy in their hands.

My impression of O-fest: it is not a beer festival. There is everything here except beer. Awesome rides, delicious sweets, excellent sausages, funny folk costumes, but no beer. I'm used to a different type_ pubs _ festivals. Perhaps my view would have been different if I had not walked around the area sober. I wanted to get drunk, honestly! Who would have thought that it would be so difficult to get drunk on beer at a beer festival?

We have wanted to attend Oktoberfest for a long time. Especially Vladimir, after the stories of friends who had been attending this event for several years, wanted to personally experience all the charm of beer “paradise”. But we were lucky enough to get to the event only now. For a general overview article about Oktoberfest, opening hours, tents, attractions and its history, please visit.

The festival takes place in Munich, but Russian tourists need a Schengen visa to visit it. Therefore, you need to worry about obtaining a visa in advance, from 3 months to 2 weeks before departure. You can, of course, do it easier and buy a tourist ticket to visit Oktoberfest. But we would not recommend doing this for the following reasons:

1. The average cost of such a trip for two costs from 80 thousand rubles (flight, accommodation with breakfast + one-day visit to Oktoberfest). Which is undoubtedly more expensive than an independent trip.

2. Independent travel is more interesting and educational than hiking with a group, where everything has already been decided for you - where to gather, where to go, what to see, etc.

Since during the festival, prices for accommodation in Munich soar several times, we lived in Memmingen and went to Munich by train. About how to get cheaply from Memmingen to Munich, and what the subtleties are.

The Oktoberfest celebration is undoubtedly about enjoying delicious beer, unforgettably tender grilled chicken and pretzels.

There are tents with a variety of Bavarian beers (Augustiner, Paulaner, Spaten, Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu) set up on Theresa's Meadow (the festival site). Beer is bottled and served only in beer mugs with a volume of 1 liter. You simply won't find less volume at Oktoberfest. The organizers of the holiday have placed beer mugs under special control, since thousands of tourists are trying to quietly take them out as a souvenir trophy.

We hung out in the tent of our favorite beer, Pauliner. It’s a pity that there is no unfiltered (live) beer in the tents; they only sell filtered beer. Already after the “Roller Coaster” attraction, on a small street stall, we came across unfiltered beer.

On weekdays, beer is served in tents from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. On weekends, you can taste Munich beer at Oktoberfest as early as 9 am.

In the tents you can also try grilled chicken, pretzels, potatoes and Bavarian snacks. Each tent can accommodate up to 10 thousand people. The tents have large wooden tables, each of which can comfortably seat 10-12 people. Just right for a group visit)). In the center of each tent there is a stage on which musicians in national costumes play traditional Bavarian music. During breaks (rest), they, like everyone else, drink beer in liter mugs.

It should be noted that almost all local visitors to the holiday and its special fans come to the holiday in national Bavarian costumes, and after a few glasses of foam, they sing and dance national songs and dances right in the aisles. This additionally creates a special atmosphere of general celebration and fun. A breathtaking sight.

There are modern attractions everywhere on the street. After standing in line, the line moves very quickly by the way, we rode a roller coaster with a 1300-meter loop and a 60-meter free-fall tower.

Also, at every step you can see small street stalls with souvenirs, snacks, sausages, knuckles, Bavarian cotton candy, gingerbread, fried almonds and incredibly long hot dogs. Note, the most delicious we have ever tasted.

Although there were an incredibly large number of people at the festival, we must pay tribute to the organizers, there were no queues at all. Perhaps for the reason that there are a huge number of them.

In preparation for the train, we studied almost the entire Internet about the intricacies of the holiday and visiting it. Literally on all sites the same information, note that the information is not true - we copy it verbatim “There are several rules at Oktoberfest that may surprise “newcomers” to the festival. For example, there are times when beer tent gates are closed to avoid excessive overcrowding. And this despite the fact that there are always some places in the tents that cannot be reserved. So you should always arrive early, namely, on weekdays before 14-30, and on weekends - before 11 am. There is also an unspoken rule that once someone leaves the tent, it is unlikely that they will return to it on the same day. Unless by persuading the guards or presenting evidence of reserve. But no one can guarantee this.".

Now in order:

1. No, there are no such hours. All tents are open to the public until 17:00. And there is no need to rush to come to the festival in the morning, as we did. At any time from the very opening of the tent until 17:00, you can calmly go into any tent you like and take any free space, of which there are always plenty until exactly 17:00. Each table has a sign that the table is reserved from 17:00 or 17:30. It is after this time that entrance to the tents is carried out by tickets. You can buy them in advance on the official Oktoberfest website. There you can choose a tent, a row and a table. There are many sites on the Internet offering such tickets, but you shouldn’t buy them - it will cost more. Yes, and they are needed, as we concluded when the company visited the holiday. 2-4 people can do without them. In addition, after an hour and a half, such tickets will be offered on the street, at a price of 5 euros per ticket. At least they offered it to us five times.

2. The rule described above about leaving the tent once is also incorrect. We went out and went into the same tent ten times and not a single guard batted an eyelid. Still... imagine, remembering all the thousands of people leaving and coming back to one security guard - it’s simply unrealistic. In addition, smoking is prohibited in the tents; everyone goes outside to smoke.

So, before 17:00 you go into any tent you like and take an empty space. There is a menu on each table, you choose, the beer is over)). Waitresses walk between the rows, you place an order for them and literally after 2-5 minutes, your order is already on your table. By the way, you need to pay as soon as the order is delivered, and so on for each order, for each glass of beer.

Beer in the tents costs 9.80 euros. If you give 10 euros or 20 for two mugs, then no one will bring you change for 20-40 cents. It’s better to worry about this in advance and have small change money.

After 17:00 the real celebration begins in the tents! And here entry is only by tickets and strictly at your reserved tables. And this is only for the first 2 hours, after which everyone already enters the tent and the passages are simply forgotten.

We took a place on the street near the entrance to the tent. There are also menus and waiters walking around. By the way, you did the right thing! Because when there is no longer a cop at the tables on the street, the guards at the tent hang up a red ribbon, after which it will not be possible to approach the tables at the tents. How many people stood behind the red ribbon...

After a couple of hours, everyone began to be allowed into the tents. We went into the tent with our liter mugs of beer, like hundreds of other visitors, and stood at one of the tables. Cheerful national music was playing in the tent (there was also a song “Moskau” by the band Dschinghis Khan), people were dancing right on the benches at the table, standing on the benches and dancing. A group of German guys were sitting at the table. Still, alcohol and celebration bring people together. We quickly became acquainted with them and were already having fun together. Although neither of them speak a word of Russian, I speak a little English from school, Vladimir also speaks German from school. But it was fun and drunk. The Germans taught us to snuff tobacco, and Vladimir taught us how to dance)).

The most “beer” of all holidays, allowing you to feel the friendship of peoples, removing language and cultural barriers, Oktoberfest, will be held in Munich from September 17 to October 3, 2016(within 17 days).

The exact address of the Oktoberfest festival (as it sounds in German) is Theresienwiese, 80339 München, Germany.

The dates of the holiday are calculated as follows: the beginning is in September and the end is on the first Sunday in October. In total it should be no less 16 days. This year, Oktoberfest also includes a national holiday - German Unity Day, which falls on October 3. Therefore, the closing of Oktoberfest will be celebrated with double chic.

Dates of the following Oktoberfests:

V 2017 year: September 16 - October 3
V 2018 year: September 22 - October 7

Over the next two days, the celebration of German national unity coincides with the Oktoberfest.

1. Get to Oktoberfest

2. Program of events for Oktoberfest 2016

date	Time	Event
September 17, Saturday	10:45	Parade dedicated to the arrival of the tent owners
September 17, Saturday	12:00	The mayor of Munich will uncork the first barrel of beer and declare the festival open
September 18, Sunday	10:00	Parade through the center of Munich in national costumes
September 19, Monday	09:00	Festival tour organized by the mayor's office for 1,200 preschoolers
September 19, Monday	12:00	Lunch in tents for elderly Munich residents
September 20, Tuesday	12:00 - 18:00	On Family Day, all attractions are reduced in price
September 22, Thursday	10:00	Festive Mass
September 25, Sunday	11:00	Concert of Oktoberfest ensembles next to the Bavaria statue
September 27, Tuesday	12:00 - 18:00	Family Day, rides can be enjoyed cheaper
October 2, Sunday	12:00	Fireworks in honor of the end of the festival at the foot of the Bavaria statue

3. Symbol of Oktoberfest 2016

The current Oktoberfest mug looks like this.

4. Layout of tents (beer tents)

Here is a rough layout of the beer tents or tents this year.

See below for the official websites of each tent and contact information for possible table reservations.

5. How many people come to Oktoberfest?

It is safe to say that Oktoberfest is one of the most densely populated holidays. There are several recommendations regarding booking places in hotels and beer tents:

It is best to visit the festival in the second week, as there are relatively fewer people.
The largest influx of people occurs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

About ¼ of all seating is outdoors, so if it rains, seating will be significantly reduced. Sometimes, due to bad weather, only those guests who have pre-booked a place in the tents can take part in the festival.

This is what Oktoberfest looks like in rainy weather.

6. How much does it cost to enter Oktoberfest?

Entrance, seating at tables in tents, and walking around the territory are absolutely free. You have to pay for everything else, meaning beer, food, souvenirs, and rides.

A special area in the southern part of the meadow will tell you how Oktoberfest was celebrated many years ago. In German it sounds “Historische Wiesn”. You will have to pay a few euros to enter.

7. Average check

Everyone who goes to the festival for the first time is wondering how much can you spend in one day of carefree festivities?

Bank cards are not accepted at the festival. Take cash with you 50 euros per person.

Here is the approximate cost of beer and snacks (prices in the tents and in the surrounding areas are absolutely the same):

liter mug of freshly brewed beer - 10.30 euros
fried chicken - 15 euros
Bavarian pretzel - 4.50 euros

Comparison table for the cost of beer this year compared to last year.

Of course, it is customary to leave a tip at the festival. Waiters can sometimes even hint at this.

8. Can I bring my own food?

Official rules state that it is prohibited to bring your own food and drinks into the tents. But in the adjacent area you can eat the remains of the sandwich you brought or use your own water.

Those who have been to the festival know that with so many people it is difficult to keep track of who is eating and drinking what, so you can save money if you want.

9. Where to stay and how far in advance should I book accommodation?

If you want to choose the most acceptable option in terms of cost and availability, look for options after September 27, 2016, since the first week of the festival usually attracts the largest number of people.

This year, housing prices increased significantly during Oktoberfest.

Most hotels will not give you a free cancellation option. Therefore, the sooner you know your travel dates, the better.

Here is a list of hotels within walking distance of Theresienwiese, the Oktoberfest site:

10. To Oktoberfest in your own car?

Never. This can be a real problem. Parking on nearby streets is prohibited during Oktoberfest. The tow trucks are working properly. Parking spaces in the underground paid parking may also be occupied.

Needless to say that after a couple of glasses of beer you are unlikely to get behind the wheel?

If you still can’t live without a car, take advantage of inexpensive rentals on economybookings.com.

11. Children and Oktoberfest

You can take children of all ages to Oktoberfest. In addition to voraciously eating chicken and drinking beer, you can have a lot of fun on the rides here. There are, however, some restrictions imposed by German law.

12. How many times should you go to Oktoberfest?

At least once. Believe me, it would be stupid not to visit Oktoberfest if you happen to be in Munich at this time. And then it all depends on you, how much you can withstand...

A Munich resident would say this: “Everyone should visit Oktoberfest three times: once with family, second time with friends, third time with colleagues.”

The golden formula is three visits spaced out throughout the week.

13. If you come to Oktoberfest at 11 am...

You will have a great opportunity to go around all the tents, try a bull roasted on a spit, several types of beer and witness the beginning of a wild celebration.

14. How to squeeze into the tent?

If there are no seats in the tent, you will not be allowed in at all. If the door is open, try to get close to the stage, order a beer and stand next to the table. After a few sips, ask those sitting at the table for permission to put down the mug. Believe me, one or two such requests, and you are already invited to sit at the table.

15. Which tent to choose?

Each one is unique in its own way. And it’s rare that you have to choose. You sit down where there is free space. At the beer festival in Munich there are no favorite tents and absolutely unpopular tents. They are filled evenly.

If you still insist on telling you the very best, then these are:

Hacker-Pschorr
Schützenfesthalle
Ochsenbraterei
Schottenhamel

16. How to book a table?

This is almost impossible to do. Premium hotels and travel companies that sell special vouchers to their guests have priority booking rights.

The general rule is that the value of the voucher should not be more than two beers and one chicken, so about 35 euros. If you are offered a voucher for 100 euros, and its price includes the minimum, they are most likely charlatans.

Tents begin opening their booking services in January. Try writing to everyone. And when someone answers that booking is possible, you pay immediately. Because unpaid reservations will be canceled soon.

The list of addresses of all Oktoberfest tents is presented below.

17. How to get into a tent that has already been closed?

If you see the following phrase on the door to the tent: “Wegen Überfüllung vorübergehend geschlossen!”, this means there are no more places. Such situations are typical on weekends and holidays or in bad weather, when it is impossible to sit outside.

If you have already paid for your reservation, you just need to show your entrance ticket.

Take tables during the morning session (from 10 am). If your table does not have a reservation for a later time, you can reserve it for the whole day.

18. The very first session of Oktoberfest

The morning hours of Oktoberfest look something like this.

They came in the morning, took a free morning table, poured themselves a few glasses of beer in the morning - but is that the thrill?

There is a large influx of people on 3 days. And the most fun hours of the holiday are from 4 to late at night.

Is it possible to secure a desk for the whole day? In theory, yes, if you find a table unencumbered by a later reservation. Please note that such tables are dismantled very quickly.

19. I have a reservation for 10 people, can I bring more?

Official information says no. Each Oktoberfest visitor who has reserved a table receives a special bracelet. At the entrance and exit, tent employees check the availability of bracelets.

Some relaxation and scattered attention of the tent employees can only happen on weekdays (usually during the daytime).

20. How do I know if a table is reserved?

Very simple. At the edges of each table there are special “Reservierung” or “Reserviert” cards. They indicate the number of people, time and name for which the reservation is being made.

If the group that booked the table is more than 10 minutes late 30 minutes, you have the right to take their place.

21. How to ask if a table is free?

The key word when communicating with Germans is politeness. If, while drunk, you begin to demand a free table, you will, of course, be asked to leave.

In German, the phrase “Do you have a free table?” sounds like this: “Entschuldigung, ist hier wohl noch ein Platz frei fur mich und meine Freunde?”

22. What is the tip amount?

In 2014, a glass of beer cost . Of course, everyone refused change from 10 euros. Tips are usually included in the price of food and beer. In some cases, the waiter asks to pay for the service separately.

Of course, if you want to thank your waiter, the more you pay him, the better.

23. Where to watch Oktoberfest online?

Munich local television muenchen.tv will broadcast the holiday daily from 6 to 9 pm.

24. What food should you try at Oktoberfest?

The most popular dish ordered by everyone at Oktoberfest is fried chicken and fries. Despite the seeming banality of the dish, it is very tasty because it is made from the freshest ingredients.

If you manage to get into the tent Ochsenbraterei and try a bull on a spit, you can consider yourself lucky.

If you prefer traditional Bavarian cuisine, aim to get into the tents Armbrustschützen And Fischer-Vroni.

25. How much beer do they drink at Oktoberfest?

An ordinary person usually reaches the desired state after two glasses of beer. The third mug will bring you closer to the final stage. After the fourth, no one can guarantee that you will wake up like a “cucumber” in the morning.

Remember: never mix beer with strong drinks. Drink only beer at Oktoberfest.

And the stories that someone drank 10 glasses in a night are mostly fiction. Most likely half of this beer was non-alcoholic.

Depending on your condition, the waitresses may secretly switch you to a non-alcoholic option.

26. In what language is Oktoberfest?

Bavarians speak their own dialect of German. But almost everything at the festival is translated into English. Therefore, there will be no problems ordering and paying for food and beer. And to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of cheerful burghers, it is enough to learn a few phrases in German.

We have specially prepared the most useful phrases in our mini phrasebook:

27. Toilets

There are plenty of toilets at the beer festival. The drink - the hero of the occasion - obliges us to do this. Going to the toilet is safe, comfortable, complicated only by a large number of people after 6 pm.

in the men's room you can wait in line for up to 10 minutes
in the ladies' room - up to 20 minutes

But Oktoberfestgoers, united by one desire, often get to know each other and continue partying together.

28. Lonely woman at Oktoberfest

If your dream is to go to Oktoberfest, but you are a single woman and could not find company for this year, do not be upset. Here are some tips on how to have the most comfortable and fun time:

29. What time does Oktoberfest close?

Beer festival opening hours are from 10 am to 10:30 pm (on weekdays) and from 9 am to 10:30 pm (on weekends and holidays). There are some tents that are open until late at night:

Kuffler's Weinzelt (until 12:30 am)
Käfer (until 1 am)

30. Where to go after Oktoberfest is over?

After the main tents close, everyone tries to get into the tent Kafer(open until 1 am). It is almost impossible to do this.

Here are a few places within walking distance of the beer festival that Munich residents love to go to:

P1(one of the most famous clubs in the city, the dress code is very strict, but you can wear national costumes).
Rilano No. 6(the dress code is simpler, you can reserve a table in advance, but be prepared for the fact that there will be a lot of people).
8 Seasons(trendy club, very difficult to get into, but worth it).
Das Wiesnzelt(beerhouse, very similar to a tent, with the same service system as at the festival).
Kultfabrik(the biggest party spot in Europe with many clubs where you will definitely find a place to your liking).

31. Traditional clothing for men

Let's list the main elements:

checkered shirt (or just white)
leather trousers (with or without suspenders)
cream knee socks
classic black German boots called haferlshuhe
scarf is not expected

The length of the pants should be selected so that when sitting, they cover the knees. The very short model will bring smiles to those celebrating.

The cost of a full suit starts from 199 euros.

32. Traditional Bavarian clothing for women

Costume elements:

short sleeve blouse
traditional dress (dirndl)
apron
nylon tights
black light leather shoes (macasin type)

The women's suit has a number of features:

1. A knot on an apron means a lot. Knotted on the right means the woman is married. Left - free.

2. The traditional suit is long. Short, seductive options have nothing to do with Bavarian traditions.

3. The length of the apron should be the same as the length of the skirt.

4. Colored tights are not allowed.

5. Shoes must be strictly low-heeled; ballet flats are also suitable.

33. Traditional Oktoberfest songs

Ensembles, real musicians, perform in each beer tent. They receive huge fees for their performances. Therefore, live performance adds its own flavor to the holiday.

The songs are sung in both German and English.

Let's summarize all of the above so that you are sure to remember what you can and cannot do at Oktoberfest:

1. You can't be rude, especially to waitresses. Before you know it, you will be thrown out of the tent.

2. How much you should drink at Oktoberfest is more of a philosophical question.

3. Come to the holiday no later than 4 days - you will have a better chance of getting a place.

4. If you have a voucher or tent reservation, don't be late!

5. Never dance on tables. This is strictly monitored. To satisfy your desire to appear taller, climb onto a bench (this is possible).

6. You cannot take dishes with you. Mugs with the 2016 symbol can be purchased at the souvenir shop. They are in every tent. Just in case, keep your receipt, because security will check your bags at the exit from the tent. If a mug is found hidden in a bag, it will definitely be confiscated. And you will either be released or handed over to the police.

7. Smoking is prohibited inside the tent. There are special areas outside for this.

8. It is prohibited to bring beer in glass bottles into the Theresienwiese meadow.

9. Don’t wear supposedly funny hats with your national costume. You will look stupid and come across as a tourist.

Oktoberfest, Wikipedia defines it as - October folk festival, the largest folk festival in the world.
The holiday is held in mid-September - early October on Theresa's Meadow - in the center of Munich.
Oktoberfest is organized and conducted by the Munich administration. Only Munich brewing companies are allowed to participate in this festival, which brew for it a special Oktoberfest beer with an alcohol content of 5.8-6.3%, which at other times of the year is usually called March or Vienna beer.
Oktoberfest first took place on October 12, 1810 in honor of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig (future King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghaus.
Oktoberfest is also known and well recognized thanks to women's national costumes

Six breweries have the right to take part in the holiday - Spaten, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrauhaus, Lowenbrau

The volume of beer sold in a mug should not differ from 1 liter by more than a tenth. Compliance with this rule is monitored by a special society “Verein gegen betragerisches Einschenken”.

During the holiday, visitors drink 6 million liters of beer, eat 1.5 million fried Munich sausages, 65 thousand pork knuckles and 84 bulls.

Oktoberfest is known throughout the world for its huge beer tents (or beer pavilions), each of which can accommodate up to 10,000 people. All of them are managed from year to year by the same entrepreneurs (German: Festwirt). This is often a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.

The festival has a variety of attractions - from traditional carousels, which have been rideable for over eighty years, to state-of-the-art roller coaster designs. A fairly popular attraction is the flea circus, which has been present at Oktoberfest for more than 50 years.

In 1886, Oktoberfest was electrified. The work was carried out by a company owned by Albert Einstein's father. According to the Abendzeitung newspaper, Albert Einstein himself participated in electrification, screwing in light bulbs in Schottenhammer's beer tent.

Since 1950, there has been a tradition of starting the holiday with twelve shots into the sky from a cannon, as well as with the opening of the first barrel of festive beer by the mayor of Munich with the characteristic exclamation “O’zapft is!” (translated from Bavarian something like “Uncorked!”). This tradition was started by the mayor Thomas Wimmer.

Excessive consumption of alcohol, in particular, alcohol brought to the holiday by its visitors. This problem especially affects young people, who are often not ready to buy fairly expensive beer and prefer to bring inexpensive and strong alcoholic drinks with them. The result of excessive alcohol consumption is the so-called “beer corpses”. They are collected into a Red Cross tent and brought to their senses there.

Stealing beer mugs (which is a criminal offense) has become such a big deal that it can be called the most popular sport at Oktoberfest. For this reason, security personnel can check any suspicious visitors to see if they have taken mugs from the tents.

The Bavarian Red Cross is responsible for medical support at the festival. Medical care is provided to patients by up to 100 volunteer orderlies and up to 10 doctors.