Munich Oktoberfest: Do’s and Dont’s

There are some rules at Munich Oktoberfest,

that you better know. 🙂

Do

• … keep an eye on your belongings all the time. If you change the table – even if you think it’s just for half an hour – take them with you. I once lost a sweater and a coat because I couldn’t find it anymore when I returned to the previous table 90 minutes later. Some other drunk person might have thought its his and bye bye. …

• … come early on weekends if you want to be inside a tent and have no reservation. Come by noon on Fridays and by 9 am at the latest on Saturday and Sunday to be sure to have access to your desired tent. Access later might be possible but you might have to wait for one or two hours or not get in at all. That’s no joke!

• … sit down at at table inside the tent. Otherwise you won’t get served a beer. Once you have your stein you can stand up again if you like.

• … give the waitress/waiter a tip. They live from the tips. The basic salary is not that good.

• … find each other in a tent like this: Most tents have row and table numbers. So if you sit at a certain table and don’t want to get up in order not to loose the space, just send your friend(s) an SMS with tent name, row and table number. Like this they can find you even in the biggest mess.

• … walk around on the Theresienwiese for a few hours. It’s perfect to do that on the first day when you arrive in the afternoon and the tents might be closed already. Only like this you get the feel of it! Keep in mind, that there is much more than just beer tents at the Oktoberfest.

Don’t

• … be impolite to a security guy even if they are a little bit rough with you. Otherwise you risk being kicked out of the tent. And if it is closed due to congestion it would mean “party over” for that day.

• … dance on the table. The beer will be spilled everywhere, the steins might break and if a security guy sees you he will tell you to step down once or you’ll be kicked out of the tent. It is allowed to dance and stand on the benches.

• … come to the Oktoberfest by using the subway station Theresienwiese. It tends to be far too crowded with people. Instead use the subway station Goetheplatz, the second nearest one, and follow the crowds.

• … take your brand new smart phone, jewellery or anything precious with you. If somebody steals it in all the big mess you won’t see it again. At least only keep your phone on the table when you need it and then stow it away again.

• … take a coat with you. If you don’t have reserved seats somewhere on the side of the tent there will be no room to stow it away. Just come with a sweater or a light jacket.

• … take a backpack or bigger bag with you. There is no room anywhere to deposit it. It is also possible that the police doesn’t grant you access to the festival area with it.

• … take a stein with you once the tent closes. Because the security or police will take it away from you again. They also check backpacks and they wait as far away as the next subway or S-Bahn station entrance to still take it away from you – unless you have a receipt to prove that you bought one.

Also read these articles on the Munich Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2011: Impressions

Oktoberfest: 5 things to do

Oktoberfest: Cheap rooms

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