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Macpilot · Aug 2, 2004, 11:53 PM

Has anybody here been to Octoberfest in Munich?

I have been through Munich before but not for Octoberfest.

I am looking forward to consuming mass quantities of the finest beer!

Any tips/suggestions/ideas are welcome from those of you experienced Octoberfest folks!

Lateralus · Aug 3, 2004, 12:02 AM

I'd love to travel to Germany for a real Oktoberfest.

I went to the local one here in Tulsa a few years back. Man... that sucked. If anybody knows how to hold an Oktoberfest that would make a true German proud it certainly isn't the people of Tulsa.

Macpilot · Aug 3, 2004, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
I'd love to travel to Germany for a real Oktoberfest.

I went to the local one here in Tulsa a few years back. Man... that sucked. If anybody knows how to hold an Oktoberfest that would make a true German proud it certainly isn't the people of Tulsa.

That is hilarious! Yeah, I went to an "Octoberfest" out here in southern California one time. Same deal.

I am really looking forward to it. My buddy has never been out of the USA but he appreciates fine beer. I am hoping there will be lots of fine little German hotties to "assist" me!

Developer · Aug 3, 2004, 01:41 AM

Please don't confuse Germans with Bavarians.

spatterson · Aug 3, 2004, 01:56 AM

When I served in the Army I was assigned TDY to Munich to work with the German Police for two weeks at the Oktoberfest. Talk about a great assignment. I loved i there. Just remember that there are loads of people there. It was a bit much for me at times, but again it was part of the deal. Make sure you bring a buddy, the one to bail you out when you get too drunk... God knows I was there, and thank god for some of my police buddies, without them I would end up on hamburger hill... Hamburger hill is where you will find all the drunks laid out on the grass passed out. Beer tents are awesome. I truly miss the culture in Germany.

Good luck,
Prost!

Randman · Aug 3, 2004, 02:42 AM

Already have my plane tickets and it's going to be almost free. G/f has to go to Munich on business so I redeemed air miles and am set to join her. Her company will pay the hotel since it's a business trip for her. So it's just beer and brats coming out of my wallet.

If you do go, make sure you book your beer hall seats early as they fill up quickly. PM if you need info on it, I did a travel story on Munich and Oktoberfest last year.

phoenixboy70 · Aug 3, 2004, 02:54 AM

i was there last year and the year before. had an awesome time! met this really hot chick from south africa...that's all i'll say here.

but yeah, get there EARLY (in the day). i'd say not after 10 am. otherwise you'll be standing in line 4 ever, to get into one of the "good" tents.

a lot of young people like the "schottenhamel"..."hacker pschorr" is also very good. bring lots of money. the beer is very good, but kind of expense ( 12 � a quart, and that's the only size you can get).

have a great time if you go. [i think one of the forum members here has some pretty cool pics in his sig]

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by phoenixboy70:
[i think one of the forum members here has some pretty cool pics in his sig]

Could it be that you mean me??

Yeah, I have been there every time for the last 10 years or so...
(sorry that the pics are hosted on spymac - it's kind of slow but lots of disk space for free)

cszar2001 · Aug 3, 2004, 04:59 AM

My advice is: stay away!
Tens of thousands of people - half of them drunk; it`s LOUD; dirty, ...... and damn expensive.

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 05:04 AM

Originally posted by cszar2001:
My advice is: stay away!
Tens of thousands of people - half of them drunk; it`s LOUD; dirty, ...... and damn expensive.

Nerd advice!
If you want to have fun, stay alone, drink water, keep it quiet and don't spend any money!

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
I'd love to travel to Germany for a real Oktoberfest.

I went to the local one here in Tulsa a few years back. Man... that sucked. If anybody knows how to hold an Oktoberfest that would make a true German proud it certainly isn't the people of Tulsa.

The idea of a "true" German being proud of the Oktoberfest makes me shudder.

Also, Bavarians are to Germans what Hillbillies are to Americans: a yodelling bunch of backwards, beer-guzzling right-wingers in embarrassing clothes.

-s*

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
...Bavarians are to Germans what Hillbillies are to Americans: a yodelling bunch of backwards, beer-guzzling right-wingers in embarrassing clothes.

-s*

watch your language organ guy!!!!

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 06:26 AM

Originally posted by badidea:
watch your language organ guy!!!!

...who better to judge the accuracy of my assessment than you!?

(getroffener Hund bellt?)

Randman · Aug 3, 2004, 06:33 AM

Yet another reason to go and enjoy it, harlot will not be present.

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 08:15 AM

Originally posted by Randman:
Yet another reason to go and enjoy it, harlot will not be present.

Nope.

Just drunk American, Japanese, and Australian tourists.

Have fun, and remember to tell the internet all about how you know Germany and the European mindset, afterwards!

sanity assassin · Aug 3, 2004, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Nope.

Just drunk American, Japanese, and Australian tourists.

Have fun, and remember to tell the internet all about how you know Germany and the European mindset, afterwards!

LMAO!

Logic · Aug 3, 2004, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Nope.

Just drunk American, Japanese, and Australian tourists.

Have fun, and remember to tell the internet all about how you know Germany and the European mindset, afterwards!

residentEvil · Aug 3, 2004, 08:37 AM

unless you know someone who has tickets to a beer hall/tent or part of a company that sponsors one of the beer hall/tents, you probably won't get into them. the lines will be over 6 hours just to get in one of them for someone who just 'shows up'.

best thing to do, which i see is too late, is buy a package from a travel agent: airfare, hotel, travel and hall tickets. an all-in-one deal.

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Nope.

Just drunk American, Japanese, and Australian tourists.

Have fun, and remember to tell the internet all about how you know Germany and the European mindset, afterwards!

Your view of the Oktoberfest (Wiesn) is about as wrong as the american view of Germany!

There is more than the HB tent, you know!
The majority of foreigners are the Italians - a lot more than anybody else - and you won't meet that many of them, the Australians, Kiwis and the few Americans if you keep out of the Hofbr�u(HB) tent!

Go to the "Sch�tzenfestzelt" if you want a majority of locals who are 25+ (if you are younger then go to the "Schottenhamel").

The "Augustiner" tent is also very beautiful but you won't survive the hangover next day (the beer is one of the best but don't drink too much, which is almost impossible on the Oktoberfest)!

Oh, and since everbody means that it would be almost impossible to get into the tents...it's not at all! Just come early (not after 11am on the weekends) and enter at one of the side entrances or from the back of the tents!

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 09:31 AM

videian28 · Aug 3, 2004, 10:32 AM

I have been there twice.... it's a expierence to remember, what exactly do you want to know?

Peter · Aug 3, 2004, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by Macpilot:
Has anybody here been to Octoberfest in Munich?

D`Espice.

OreoCookie · Aug 3, 2004, 10:55 AM

Yup, since I lived in Munich since 1996 (ok, -2 years, 1 year States, 1 year Japan).

I'll be there, I think.
Anyone wants to meet?

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 10:59 AM

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
Anyone wants to meet?

Are you hot and female?

sanity assassin · Aug 3, 2004, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by badidea:
Are you hot and female?

I don't think it will matter after you drink at the festival.

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 11:09 AM

Originally posted by spatterson:
... Hamburger hill is where you will find all the drunks laid out on the grass passed out...

...and where all the others stand a few feet further up pissing at the trees - it's so disgusting!

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by sanity assassin:
I don't think it will matter after you drink at the festival.

At least female!!

edit: ah well, I'll be there anyway (like every year)

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 11:12 AM

Originally posted by badidea:
At least female!!

You do know the difference between straight sex and gay sex, right?

...about eight beers.

Spliffdaddy · Aug 3, 2004, 11:13 AM

Been there a few times.

Mostly just to show the fellow German hillbillies how to throw a party.

You didn't think they did all that on their own did ya?

badidea · 12:19 PM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:

...about eight beers.

I luckily never had more than 7

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
Been there a few times.

Mostly just to show the fellow German hillbillies how to throw a party.

You didn't think they did all that on their own did ya?

I dunno - did American hillbillies even *exist* in 1810, when the first Oktoberfest was celebrated?

Spliffdaddy · Aug 3, 2004, 11:26 AM

We were here for a long time. We spent many years waiting for the native Americans to arrive.

theolein · Aug 3, 2004, 11:59 AM

Only been involved on the edges of the Oktoberfest. had to rescue a friend from Z�rich once who was drunk, lost and scared and had some Bavarian guys giving her too much attention. The other time was passing through M�nich on the train from Berlin. It filled up with loud drunks and since I couldn't get any sleep anyway, I went to the bar and got drunk myself. Made a real fool of myself afterwards when a German girl who was interested in me asked if I had ever been to Ravensburg, where she came from. In my drunken stupor, I mixed up Ravensburg with Ravensbruck where there was a Concentration Camp in WWII. She got kind of pissed off about that and wondered off. Oops.

turtle777 · Aug 3, 2004, 12:31 PM

Originally posted by Developer:
Please don't confuse Germans with Bavarians.

Seconded !

-t

voyageur · Aug 3, 2004, 12:39 PM

Should we confuse Prussians with Germans?

I've been 2 or 3 times. I'm not much of a drinker, and never can finish my first liter, but some of my Bavarian relatives sure can. The whole family over there used to enjoy going together, my grandmother in her best dirndl, my grandfather in his tyrolean jacket. The younger relatives didn't dress up, just went to drink and joke and have fun. My aunts and uncles have a never-ending store of jokes in Bavarian dialect.

Spliffdaddy · Aug 3, 2004, 12:44 PM

One of the guys I was with got his ass kicked for trying to leave a beer tent with a beer mug (a stein? *shrugs* hell if i know. I thought Ausfahrt was a city).

My brother-in-law was in the US Army and stationed at an air base in Belgium several years ago. Me and the wife used to visit a lot - and we tried to time those visits during Octoberfest. I remember the last visit.....

We managed to arrive late, but the equivalent of US $200 bought us the end 1/3rd of a table in one of the best tents. And we had to buy the next round for everyone at the table - at 10marks each. It was a bargain, really, considering the alternative of standing outside in the rain. Anyhow, despite the numerous warning signs in five languages, on our way out of the tent one guys in my group who I'll call 'homeboy' (also US Army) had stuffed a huge beer mug down his shirt and was attempting to hide the bulge with an unextended umbrella in his folded arms. It didn't work. The beer tent bouncer dude asked him to hand over the mug. Homeboy ignored him and kept walking. The beer tent bouncer asked for the mug a few more times. And homeboy ignored him.

Finally, the beer tent bouncer stood in front of homeboy to stop him from walking. So homeboy promptly shoved him out of the way. Punches were thrown and homeboy got beat down by the bouncer. When the bouncer was finished beating homeboy, he picked up the beer mug and yelled for backup. Instantly, there were a dozen bouncers running toward us.

So we ran for the car. Which was like 20 blocks away - parked beneath a bridge underpass. Naturally, when we got there it was blocked-in by several other cars. And there were other folks standing around, too. Their cars were blocked, as well. As time passed, more and more people were standing beneath the underpass - waiting for the other cars to move. It turned into a big party. Bunch of drunk Germans and Americans and other foreigners. I was the only one with some weed, so I was real popular. After the cars that blocked us in had been moved, we partied for a while longer.

I never did get my umbrella back. Homeboy probably dropped it when the bouncer kicked his ass. It was a special umbrella. The week before, I'd carried it to the top of the Swiss (German, maybe?) Alps in order to sing "The hills are alive with the sound of music". One of those stupid things you just feel compelled to do before you die. Made a great picture. Which the ex-wife kept, now that I think about it...

engaged · Aug 3, 2004, 12:46 PM

Went in 2001. Sadly, it was rather subdued from what I could gather as it was soon after events in New York and many people stayed away. Never had a problem getting into at least one beer tent, and the only hassle I had was when some German football fans decided that I looked like a British football fan - I'm not, never mind never even having been to a football match.

Munich itself has much to offer, and a trip to Dachau reduced this grown man to floods of tears.

Excellent, quality beer - and no hangover as a result!

Spheric Harlot · Aug 3, 2004, 12:48 PM

Spliffdaddy:

badidea · Aug 3, 2004, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
I thought Ausfahrt was a city

(you are not the first!)

and it's not a Stein! This is a Stein for example:

the ones made out of glass are not called Stein!

The rest of your story is an Oktoberfest classic!

(never ever mess with those bouncers especially if they look like him )

videian28 · Aug 3, 2004, 03:01 PM

alright here is my story... I drank 9 of those "big beers" one afternoon/night at the munich fest, the next day I was talking to the wife and stated, "yah know, I really wanted to go on that roller coaster." She replied, "you did."

OreoCookie · Aug 3, 2004, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by badidea:
Are you hot and female?

Male and in a long-term relationship, sorry buddy.

Macpilot · Sep 23, 2004, 12:12 AM

Well, I am a couple of days from the trip and still working on "accommodations" in Munich. My traveling buddy is working the internet forum angle trying to meet some cool people. I can hardly wait. Gonna be a blast.

If anybody knows of some good lodging (hostel or otherwise) I would really appreciate it.

Going to arrive the 25th and do the beer tent thing on the 26th. Then off to Hamburg to see Rush on the 27th, then to Amsterdam. Got the Eurailpass....those trains are awesome.

Would love to hang with some fellow MacNN'ers and drink some brews.

Thanks for all the great stories! Lots of funny ones.

Zimphire · Sep 23, 2004, 12:32 AM

Fall and Spring are my FAVORITE seasons.

I can't wait till October.

Macpilot · Sep 23, 2004, 12:56 AM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Have fun, and remember to tell the internet all about how you know Germany and the European mindset, afterwards!

Where did this come from?

badidea · Sep 23, 2004, 03:22 AM

Originally posted by Macpilot:
...
Going to arrive the 25th and do the beer tent thing on the 26th. Then off to Hamburg to see Rush on the 27th...

...then we are going to pass each other on the railway because I am going from Hamburg to Munich on the 27th...

Have fun!

Lancer409 · Sep 23, 2004, 03:25 AM

Originally posted by badidea:
Nerd advice!
If you want to have fun, stay alone, drink water, keep it quiet and don't spend any money!

Drunk loud n dirty .. sounds like fun to me!

wolfen · Sep 23, 2004, 07:41 AM

HEY! Be more respectful of the fine bavarians who gave you Oktoberfest! (Yeah, my grandfather came straight from Bavaria)

Anyway, I'll be attending Oktoberfest in the NC mountains. I have a feeling they'll do ok with it.

SimeyTheLimey · Sep 23, 2004, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by Macpilot:
Well, I am a couple of days from the trip and still working on "accommodations" in Munich

Good luck. I ended up crashing in my car. (note: not crashing my car, I don't drive drunk).

The Munich Oktoberfest is one of those fun things to do -- once.

turtle777 · Sep 23, 2004, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by wolfen:
(Yeah, my grandfather came straight from Bavaria)

What should I say ?

My grandparents came straight out of Bavaria.
My dad came straight out of Bavaria.
I came straight out of Bavaria.

Guess I'm Bavarian ?

-t

wolfen · Sep 23, 2004, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by turtle777:
What should I say ?

My grandparents came straight out of Bavaria.
My dad came straight out of Bavaria.
I came straight out of Bavaria.

Guess I'm Bavarian ?

-t

Und?