Oktoberfest

When people swarm to Munich from all corners of the earth, when the material to make dirndl dresses and lederhosen becomes scarce, and even punk rockers are known to slip into traditional folk costume, then it’s fair to assume: the annual Oktoberfest is open for business once more. Beer tents from large to gigantic, fair booths, brass music, the cattle parade of celebrities (not our words!), an indispensable part of the ritual of seeing and being seen at Oktoberfest. All of this yields an unrivaled mix that places Oktoberfest on a par with other large celebrations and festivities around the world– with Carnival in Venice, the Songkran (water festival) in Bangkok, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

In 2009, somewhat fewer actual visitors were tallied than liters of beer served – though both were around 6 million! Amongst other things, this means: if you and your friends want to be certain to get a spot together in one of the renowned tents on the Wies'n – maybe even in the Ambrustschützen tent – you will need to make reservations well in advance.