Oktoberfest
Country: Germany
When: 17th September – 3rd October 2016 16th September – 3rd October 2017 15th September – 6th October 2018
Munich’s Oktoberfest is the world’s biggest fair. Running for sixteen days it attracts close to 6 million people. Oktoberfest is famous for the huge amounts of beer served – close to 7 million litres each year.
The festival started in 1810 to celebrate a Germany monarch’s wedding (King Ludwig I) and was intended as a one-off event. It was so successful however that it was repeated following year and then every year since. The festival was initially built around a horse race to celebrate the wedding. An agricultural fair was also adopted. The horse race was dropped after 1960. Oktoberfest has since developed into a celebration of beer and German culture.
Oktoberfest is based around a series of tents where beer and food are served. Local folk singing and dancing play part of the festivities. You must be seated to be served and you can only pay with the tokens that can be purchased when you enter a tent.
Beer is served in steins – large porcelain or glass drinking vessels; basically really big mugs! Beer comes in many sizes, however it is generally service as a litre.
Festival Videos
Key highlights
- Wide variety of beers available.
- Traditional Germany foods – most common include roast chicken, roast pork, local sausages and giant pretzels.
- The local dress – People wear ‘dirndl’ traditional alpine clothing worn by men and women. Women’s clothing is called Landhausmode, which is country or traditional farm style clothing with blouse, white stockings and short or long dress.
- Opening Ceremony.
- Tents of varying sizes offer an exciting atmosphere with a mix of merry people, song and dance.
- Fairground attractions located outside the tents are fairground include rides and a ferris wheel.
Where is it
Munich, Germany.
How to get there
You can fly direct to Munich from all European cities. Low cost airlines provide very cost effective options.
Travelling from Berlin via train will take six hours via the super fast German ICE trains. Cheaper tickets are available, but you need to check availability. In general the average ticket cost is approximately $100 AUS.
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Overnight sleeper train options run between Berlin and Munich leaving at 10pm and arriving at about 7:30am. This is a great way to save a bit of money on hotel costs.
Travelling from Berlin via car or bus will take somewhere between seven and ten hours. Bus is the slowest but the cheapest mode of travel. Driving does give you more flexibility and you can also stop off at popular tourist locations such as Dresden and Nuremberg.
Where to stay
Accommodation options in Munich are diverse with choices ranging from luxury hotels to backpacking hostels. During the festival period accommodation does book up very quickly.
One option is to book with a tour company that will handle your transport, (usually by coach) and accommodation. This ensures you are in the right location at the right time.
Staying outside the city centre is a viable option as public transport in Munich runs up until 1am most nights and is very efficient. Accommodation is a little cheaper and availability is better at this time of year.
Another option is staying in nearby towns and commuting into Munich via the U-Bahn train network.
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Consider booking your accommodation in Augsburg a town that is 45 minutes away by train (approx. 80km) or Rosenheim about 30 minutes away (65km from Munich).
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Consider not attending on Opening Day. This is the busiest time of the entire festival and finding a seat is certainly an issue. Remember, if you can’t get a seat then you don’t get served. It is worth heading over on the second or even later days. Don’t worry, they won’t run out of beer!
Useful information
More information on Oktoberfest festival: