Travels to Oktoberfest in Munich

The 185th Oktoberfest in Munich was held September 22 - October 7, 2018.  Keith and I traveled to Bavaria, Germany for opening day of the world's largest Volksfest. Held annually, beer is not served on opening day until 12pm, after the parade ends and the first kegs are tapped.  Read more below of some of our tips and a photo recap of our time there.  Prost!

Why is Oktoberfest held in late September, you may ask? The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12th and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September to allow for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over "die Wiesen" or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.

According to tradition, the beer tents only sell original Munich beer which is characterized by a long tradition, much experience in brewing and and the strict adherence of the "Reinheitsgebot" (Bavarian Purity Requirements). The six Munich Oktoberfest-breweries featured in the tents are: Augustiner, Hacker Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. We were lucky to find seats at a table in the large Ochsenbraterei (Spatenbräu-Festhalle) tent. An over-dimensional ox is slowly turning on a huge spit over the entrance of the Ochsenbraterei tent, which made it easy to describe to friends who were running behind and needed to find us. *Tip: Reservations for tents must be made months in advance and are usually for groups of 8-10 people. So, if you are smaller group like we were, head over early to find free seats in the middle tables, that are generally blocked off for walk-ins.

We arrived around 10:30am to secure our seats, and were only allowed to buy soda or water before noon.  But soon enough, we heard the large drums and tubas and cheers, as the parade made its way inside and the brewery owners welcomed everyone.  The servers were impressive by carrying 14 large liters (Maß) at a time to each table.  They did a great job of serving the thirsty crowds!  The Spaten beer was a Marzen style that is aromatic, savory, and gold-colored and cost 11€ each.  We also ordered snacks in the tent to hold us over until dinner: a large soft pretzel 5€, potato dumplings 4€, and my favorite - käsespätzle (soft egg noodles with cheese) 12€.  *Tip: Only cash is accepted, and you can find the same food for half the price at the vendors outside, however you risk losing your seats in the tents, and you cannot bring any food or drink inside. So, it may be worth it to pay a little more in order to claim your seat and enjoy the festivities!

At 4pm, everyone was kicked out of the tents to allow for the second round of ticket holders.  We actually had reservations for another tent, Heinz Wurst und Huehnerbraterei, which came with food and drink tickets so we headed over there.  As the name suggests, this smaller family-run tent specializes in sausage and chicken and serves Paulaner beer. *Tip: As I mentioned above, reservations are generally for large groups at the big tents.  We were able to get reservations for 6 (even though we were a party of 4) at a small tent for the afternoon session, and just used the extra tickets to order more beer and food to share between us.  It worked out great!

Speaking of Paulaner, we enjoyed their beer and food offerings the night before at the Paulaner Bräuhaus. The building at Kapuzinerplatz 5 was formerly the bar that served the beer produced by the Thomasbräu brewery and has been a Munich inn ever since. The Gebrüder Thomass brewery was located on the land behind it. This is where they brewed one of the first Munich light beers. The Thomasbräu merged with the Paulaner brewery in 1928. The name ‘Thomasbräu’ finally disappeared in 1994 when the company changed its official title. The first Paulaner Bräuhaus moved into Kapuzinerplatz 5 in 1989, marking the start of a global success story. Hermann Zimmerer, Daniel Demut and chef Thomas Brandfass have been working their magic in the Paulaner Bräuhaus since 2013. Together, they stand for authentic regional cuisine and an atmosphere of warm hospitality. *Tip: Visiting the actual restaurant-brewery of the top German brands is a more relaxing way to enjoy the same Oktoberfest fare.  Plus, reservations can easily be made online just like any other restaurant nowadays.

Here, we enjoyed their wheat beer, lager, and golden Oktoberfest brew (which had great citrus notes)  as well as a snack of soft pretzel with marinated cheese and salad. Keith and Pat enjoyed the VIP Platter of crispy pork knuckle, roasted duck, veal meat balls, and fried beer sausages with cranberry-red cabbage, potato dumplings, pretzel dumplings, and gravy.  It was more than enough for two people to share.

We also visited the Löwenbräukeller - the restaurant of the brewery, with classic Bavarian dishes and a large beer garden. On opening night of the fest, they were hosting an "after party" of sorts away from the main Theresienwiese.  The hall inside was gorgeous, but the crowd was much more tame than the main fest area.  We were too full to order any more food, so we just had a beer each and listened to the German band for a bit before calling it a night. *Tip: We were able to get reservations which came with drink tickets for this event as well.  However, it is far from the main fest area, so be prepared to hail a taxi.

The night before, we also visited the Augustiner-Keller.  This fun traditional cellar has a cozy ambience all year round, combined with top-quality gastronomy. In the historic building you will find various dining rooms and rooms for very different tastes and occasions.  This German beer is my dad's favorite.  He was stationed in Munich nearly 30 years ago, and fondly remembers this smooth and traditional brew.  *Tip: They serve their beer from freshly drawn wood barrels all year round, so we knew if we tried this brew early on, we wouldn't mind skipping it during the main festival.

An estimated 6.3 million visitors came to Oktoberfest in 2018, from all over the world including USA, Great Britain, Austria, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Sweden and Belgium. According to the breweries, the guests drank 7.5 million liters of beer!  There are also loads of vendors and a whole section of carnival rides, making the fest not only about beer, but also a great place for families.

Photo via CNN: An overhead shot of the crowds on opening day 2018.

Sound fun? Plan for next year's festival taking place September 21 - October 6, 2019.  Have you been to Oktoberfest in Munich before? What are some of your favorites tents to visit, things to do, or places to eat? Please share in the comments below!