Celebrate Oktoberfest in Munich
Posted by Ted Phelps | Under Festivals and Events of Note Monday Jun 30, 2008Each year I get more and more calls from customers wanting to know about Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. I thought I might put a post up relaying what I know about the festival.
If you decide to go to the annual Oktoberfest gathering, you will have the opportunity to take part in one of the largest parties / festivals the world has ever seen. I have to say, my own visit to Oktoberfest years ago was definitely one of my more fun traveling experiences.
Every year from mid-September until the first Sunday of October Munich, Germany hosts the 16 day gathering for Oktoberfest. The festival has been in existence for almost 200 years, and over 6 million people attend the festival every year. Visitors to Oktoberfest generally spend their time in large tents full of tables. Servers bring beer to patrons in giant glass mugs called “biersteins.” These humongous tents hold thousands of people, and one particularly large tent seats as many as 8,450. For me, the size and volume of the tent was truly an impressive sight to see.
Oktoberfest is definitely the place to go for great food and drink. In addition to the 6.1 million liters of beer that are served, plenty of Oktoberfest food is available. Popular dishes are sausage, chicken (hendl), cheese noodles, sauerkraut, and even roasted ox tail. The sheer amount of food consumed is mind boggling. In previous years attendees of Oktoberfest consumed 102 roasted oxen, 438,884 sausages, and 459,279 roasted chickens! I have to say, the cheese noodles and the roasted chicken were my favorites. I wasn’t feeling bold enough to try the roasted ox tail, but maybe next time!
If you can, check out Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest this year, it’s an experience that you will never forget, unless of course, you drink too much of the beer (believe me, it’s much stronger than American beer).
I would definitely enjoy hearing your comments, or stories from your own Oktoberfest experiences!
Safe travels,
“Ted on The Travel Desk”
Ted Phelps, Customer Travel Consultant
My wife and I are have thought about going. How far in advance do you need to make reservations? Are we already out of luck for this year? Thank you for any assistance that you could provide.
What is the minimum drinking age in Germany. I’m there!
Mr. Roland,
Thank you for your comments and taking the time to check out our new blog.
You still have ample time to make a reservations Munich. For rentals during large events, it is best to book a bit in advance to ensure availability. The good thing about Auto Europe is not only do we offer package savings on air, hotel and car but also your car reservation is 100% refundable should you need to change or cancel, so your reservation is worry free!
The Oktoberfest in Munich is everything it is advertised to be. I have been four times. It opens at 10 a.m. By 11 a.m. all of the tents are full. The tents seem to be reserved exclusively for the locals or at least German people generally. I have never seen a table of Americans drinking beer. Oktoberfest is “family friendly” during the day and for the most part during the evening. You will more likely than not, see a few intoxicated/roudy people in the late evenings. The place closes down at midnight.
Munich is our favorite city. Extremely clean and very little crime. I lived not far from Munchen for three years and have yet to witness any crime. On our last trip, we noticed five German policemen walking together and all were carrying submachine guns. Now THAT is a deterrent.