10 Tips for Surviving Oktoberfest
1. Dress the Part
Wear a Drindl or Lederhosen during your visit to Oktoberfest – you will be happy you did! Almost everyone at the fair grounds will be dressed up, so you might as well join in on the fun! You can purchase your outfit when you arrive in Germany or even a neighboring country. We arrived in Munich the evening before our Oktoberfest festivites were to start, so we ordered online and packed them for our trip. You can expect to pay about 100USD per outfit, but it is better to order from an authentic dealer than to be stuck with a cheap knock off. Plus after one visit to Oktoberfest you will want to plan another trip and will be able to get more use out of your Drindl or Lederhosen.
2. Bring Cash
Credit cards are not accepted in the tents and each maß cast about 10 euro a piece. You want to be prepared to have a great time at Oktoberfest, so cash is a must! Don’t forget to bring enough cash for food as well!
3. Have a Phone that Works
Wifi is not readily available in the tents at Oktoberfest. We were traveling with a large group of friends and it was easy to lose members of the group. Having a few cell phones with international service available is helpful!
4. Explore All of the Tents
There are 14 beer tents at Oktoberfest and each one is awesome in its own way. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of one tent and spend most of your day there, but we encourage you to get out and experience as many tents as possible! Remember the tents are massive and can hold for 4,000-10,000 people not including outdoor beer gardens!
5. Learn German Drinking Songs
One of the best parts of Oktoberfest is the singing and dancing! There are several popular German songs that will be played at any tent you visit. Learn them in advance of your trip and your will impress everyone! Plus it is more fun to sing along and actually know the words. A few songs to look up to get you started are: Ein Prosit (I Salute You), Fliegerlied (The Flyer Song), Who the Fuck is Alice (Next Door to Alice). There are several American songs that you may be surprised to learn are very popular at Oktoberfest. These songs include: Country Roads, Hey Baby – If You’ll Be My Girl, and Sweet Caroline.
6. Reserve a Table in Advance
Since we traveled to Octoberfest with a large group of friends we wanted to make at least one table reservation so we could be guaranteed (at least once) to all sit together and have a great time! We learned that you need to make these reservations well in advance! Some tents require written requests in German and others have high reservations fees. Do your homework and start early, you will be rewarded with a great time eating, drinking, and singing with all of your closest friends.
7. Remedy Your Hangover with a Maß and Pretzel
If Day 1 at Oktoberfest, left you feeling hungover and tired. The only way to cure this is to start Day too with a maß and a pretzel. Take it slow and you will be back on your Oktoberfest feet in no time!
8. Pick a Meeting Place for Lost Friends
After losing several friends at various times throughout our first day at Oktoberfest, we wised up and created a meeting place in case we lost people during Day 2. Thankfully, we were able to stay together as a group and didn’t need to use it, but this is a wise idea for anyone attending Oktoberfest!
9. See the Whole Festival
Yes, the beer halls are amazing, but there is much more to Oktoberfest than the 14 beer tents. There is a whole amusement park with games, rides, and vendors of all kinds. Take a break from the tents to explore, but then yes by all means return to the tents for more singing and drinking!
10. Have Fun and Enjoy this Unforgettable Experience
Last, but not least is to have fun! It will be hard for you not to have fun in the Oktoberfest environment, but if you follow our 10 ten tips you are guaranteed to have a great time!
