Oktoberfest 2016 - To Dirndle or Not to Dirndl?

Calling the Oktoberfest a beer festival is like saying  Shakespeare was a guy that made up stories. Sure you are right, but you would seriously be understating the depth, history and culture involved. You are missing the history, the other cultural aspects, and the heartfelt fun. German word of the day: "Herzliche Wilkomen" … it literally means heartfelt welcome. I have travelled around the world, and Germans are truly some of the friendliest and most optimistic people I have every met. I think anyone who has any interest in German history and culture ought to go the Oktoberfest in Munich at least once.

The Oktoberfest was originally a wedding reception for king Bavaria in 1810. He married Therese and threw a big party, inviting the local townsfolk. Ludwig and Therese were so well loved by the town folk, that the next year, they wanted an annual do-over. Or at least the party and the beer were well loved. It became an annual event. Years later, it evolved into a beer competition and hence a festival. "Wiesen" is the German word for field. The locals do not call it the Oktoberfest, they call it Thereseweisen;" Theresa's field.  Thus, the original party was basically a kegger in the field for the king and his new bride. I went to a couple keggers in high school. That's all I have to say about high school keggers. Not because I lack an opinion, just because I don’t remember anything about the keggers in high school.

Parade of drummers

been to Wiesen twice now. The atmosphere is fun-loving and easy-going, with drinking, dancing, music, good food, and open hearted people. Many times I have been lost and confused in Germany, and a local has come up to me volunteering their help. I grew up hearing about how friendly Canadians are, and have seen this reputation to be true, but they do not have Germans beat on this. Germans love to have fun. The serious, humorless German stereotype is unfounded. Walk into a beer tent and instantly start having fun with  900 other people. I learned the hard way not to stand in front of the door to the bar.  Bar maids carrying 12 large beer glasses at a time come rushing out of there in a near run. The Germans could have been yelling at me and calling me names, instead they only gently but firmly pulled me out of the way, preventing serious beer loss, injuries and humiliation. Well, probably the beer loss was the main motivation, but they were kind and jovial about it. The same thing is true with the kitchen door, and large trays of roasted chicken and vegetables.  Sometimes I learn the hard way.  German word of the day "Freundlich."  It means friendly, not lick your friends.  I might have learned that the hard way, too, I'm not saying.

Beer tents. Fun places with a terribly inaccurate name. They are far from actually being tents. These are large permanent wooden structures, about three stories high that seat about 9,000 people. If this is what you call a tent, I would not want to camp with you if I have to help you pitch it. Each tent has a complete kitchen serving delicious German food, and of course, beer. Lots of beer. Served in large glasses that hold about three bottles. Waiters and waitresses carry up to twelve of these at a time, a very cool sight to see. In the center of the hall, full of 9,000 patrons, you will find a band on an elevated stage, about half a floor into the air, suspended over the crowd. Horns, accordions, drums, singers, all playing traditional German music. The music is loud and energetic. Even without understanding the words, and not having any alcohol in me yet, I felt like dancing. Of the 9,000 patrons, you will find at least 100 dancing on tables at any one time (often much more than that).  It is all brightly lit, colorful and festive. The moment you walk in, you feel is an unmistakable air of light-hearted fun.

There are 14 large tents at the Wiesen, all matching the description above. The tents are owned by the breweries. So the Löwenbräu tent, of course, serves Lowenbrau, and so on. The other beer companies that have tents there are Paulaner, Augustiner, Spaten, Hofbräu and Hacker-Pschorr. About 7 million liters of beer are drunk by the end of the festival. Each tent will have specific bands contracted to play for them. The tents have different food offerings. One has fish on a stick (entire fish, roasted, on a stick). One has numerous roasted meats; duck, chicken, all sorts of beef and pork. One has crossbow competitions. What can go wrong with beer and crossbows in a large crowd, after all?

There are also much smaller tents which are quieter and do not specialize in beer or have bands. We spent time in a wine tent. If it were located anywhere else, the wine tent would not be called a "tent." It would be called a cute little restaurant. In German we would say the restaurant is "Gemütlich" which does not have a literal translation in English, but would mean it is very pleasing, comfortable and friendly, and you feel quite relaxed and at home. 

One of the smaller beer tents.. specializing in Fish on a Stick...and beer

There are also coffee, donuts, and pastry tents. It's not all about beer at the Oktoberfest; just mostly about beer.  There are also plenty of outdoor food and drink stands. The Oktoberfest also has a large midway, with roller coasters and other rides, carnival games, music. German word of the day: Fahrt"  It means to drive. So the roller coaster called "Fahrt zur Holle" is the drive through hell, not what It sounds like in English. 

Fahrt Zur Holle

Most Oktoberfest participants wear lederhosen or dirndls. You don’t have to wear the traditional clothing; you can wear jeans and t-shirts, but you will feel more like part of the event if you dress accordingly. You don't have to be German to wear the traditional outfits, the Germans will not be offended if you are from another country and still dress for the festival. 

I speak a little bit German, and I am nowhere near fluent. If you want to speak German to me, speak slowly and as if to a 4 year old, and we will do fine in conversation (until I cry). However, I rarely run into a German who is not fluent in English, and as soon as they hear my accent, they begin talking to me in perfect English. The downside to this is I don’t get a chance to practice my German, the upside is that we can communicate better, with more precision and expediency. The only time I found communication difficult was in the beer tents; it is so very loud in there, and very crowded. If you go, I recommend reserving space ahead of time. This is a German festival, by and for Germans, after all, so the default language is German. So if your German skills are not very high, it is hard to converse in the tents. I did manage to have a nice conversation with a woman and her husband who sat next to me. She spoke very little English, but between the two of us we could yell a pleasant conversation She was a surgical nurse, and since I am a medical doctor, we had some things in common. If you learn a little before you go, you will find yourself picking up a lot more just by being a tourist. My wife did not know much to start with, and she picked up a little German every day. I had to tell her to put the little Germans back down, we were trying to avoid trouble. I've been to Germany before, and I am trying to avoid trouble with the law. German word of the day: Rathaus. A municipal building. i.e. where politicians work. You can figure out the word roots there.

I really enjoy the German language, although I don’t find it lyrically beautiful like I do Italian. There are plenty of German words incorporated into English.  Kaput is German for Broken. A "Kind" is a child, and "Kinder" is plural for children, Garten is garden. So you see where the word Kindergarten came from.  I am sure you have all heard the word "beer garden"  That is what my grandparents used to call bars. I never heard them say the word "bar," it was always  "beer garden." That's right you guessed it's where Germans grow beer. Pull tabs from cans and bottle cap are seeds to grow more beer. Overall, you don’t have to speak German to go the Oktoberfest, but it would help.

If you like beer, Germany, parties and music, you should go to the Oktoberfest in Munich at least once in your life. I would only add two caveats. If you do not like large, loud bustling crowds, you won't like the beer tents. The other is to reserve a table ahead of time online at www.oktoberfest.de. Finding a seat ahead of time is very difficult and requires a lot of luck and patience.