Oktoberfest is considered to be one of the most stereotypical German events, and while this may not necessarily be true, it is still one of the must see and do events here in Germany.
This article will be mostly about a trip that I took with the other rotary exchange students, if for no other reason than because that is the trip that I have a couple of pictures of (my phone is still not up and running, so no camera for me).
Helen, Mikayla (two American exchange students), and I at an entrance to Oktoberfest.
So, obviously, the stand out expectation of Oktoberfest is the beer tents, and yes, they are absolutely insane. There are about 12 to 15 gigantic beer tents arranged in the centre of the festival, where most of the participants spend their time. However, other than the beer tents, there are many things in Oktoberfest that I wash't expecting to see. First of all, the gigantic roller coasters. every year, Oktoberfest has two or three temporary roller coasters set up for the event. The traditional olympia coaster features a track that includes, among other things, the shape of the olympic rings. In fact, the entire oktoberfest is set up like a carnival, with lights, games, and rides everywhere.
the Hollenblitz, a gigantic indoor roller coaster complete with
a waterfall and flashing lights in the shape of a giant tree
There are carnival games, food stands, and small beer tents littering the sides of the wide avenues that people have to walk (or stumble, depending on how your night is progressing) down to get from ride to beer tent to carnival game and back again. Shout out to the police that are monitoring the entire event, from providing directions in the subway to organizing lineups and admission into beer tents. Its a massive project that they run consistently at a very high standard, so well done to you guys.
Oh, yeah, another couple of stereotypes I have to shoot down; Oktoberfest doesn't run for the duration of October. It runs in the last week of September and the first week of October. Secondly, The festival is a Bavarian festival, not a German festival. Although it is the biggest party that is held in Germany, there are carnivals in some of the western cities (such as Köln (Cologne)) that are comparable. Finally, Lederhosen are traditional bavarian clothing, and often they are some of the highest selling products in the souvenir shops that can be found throughout the city during Oktoberfest. However, many people who are going will buy one of these imitation pairs and wear it to the festival. Apparently this commercial side of Oktoberfest has only emerged recently, and, at the moment, if you go to Oktoberfest in ordinarily clothing you will not stand out from the crowd. however, while you are there, try and find a Bavarian in the very traditional pairs of lederhosen, down to a feather sicking of out of the hat. It is a very impressive thing to see, and a real glimpse into a very old culture.
Anyways, obviously go to Oktoberfest, it is one of the landmark German events of the year, and I'm sure at some point I will come back to it. If you have any questions about Oktoberfest, I may be able to answer them, but only if you post them in the comments below.
Thanks guys for all of your support and reading, I'll be back in a couple days with more blog for you guys (and maybe, I dare to hope, a working phone)
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