5 things you need to know before going to Oktoberfest

I’ve visited Germany a few times in my life – mainly due to learning German in school, having a German exchange family and having friends living in the country. Naturally, one of the things that had always been on my bucket list was going to the famous Oktoberfest in Munich. So, when my friend and travel buddy Steph suggested going in 2022, I jumped at the opportunity.

As context, I’m not the biggest beer drinker, but I’d always wanted to go to Oktoberfest to experience the atmosphere and join in the celebrations that I’d heard so much about. In terms of getting a real German beer-drinking experience, it doesn’t get better than Oktoberfest! We also met a great variety of very friendly people there, all happy to sit, laugh and drink together. However, there are a few things I wish I had known before booking the trip. Read on to discover my biggest learnings.

1. Get into the beer tents early

Oktoberfest works with a system of huge beer tents, sponsored by beer brands. Within the grounds are many tents, but also fairground rides, games and food stalls. Of course, the beer tents are the main attraction and where the life of the party happens. Inside the tents are rows and rows of packed tables, live music and bar tenders carrying around 6 steins of beer at all times. This is where I really got a feel for the Oktoberfest experience – there were people dressed in traditional attire, dancing, drinking, music blasting and it looked and felt exactly how I’d imagined it.

However, it is vital that you get into the beer tents earlier rather than later in the day. At 12 noon, which is when we arrived, the tents were already packed, with a long queue to get inside. The queues move pretty slowly, as they are cautious not to overfill the already packed tents. The best approach is to choose and queue for a tent that you will be happy to stay in for the day – if you leave, you may struggle to get in anywhere else!

2. You need to be at a table to get served

One of the first learnings we discovered is that you will not be able to purchase a beer if you are not at a table. The bar tenders will only serve and bring beers to those physically on a table. The way the system works is that you can book reservations for beer tents directly with the tents in advance (which appears to be what the locals had done), or if you are a visitor there are non-reserved tables that you can use. However, finding a table is easier said than done!

The tables are wooden picnic-style benches, that you would think could hold around 8 people, however in the beer tents, each table had around 10-15 people on it. The way this works is that everyone stands up on the benches around the table to get a spot. This can be quite intimidating at first and we initially had to ask a bar tender to help us get a spot. The best way to do this is to be confident, go up to a table and ask the group if you can join them on the benches. Not only does this mean you can buy beers, but you also end up meeting a lot of new people.

3. The beers are overpriced

Probably the most obvious finding and something that we did somewhat expect, is that the price of a stein of beer is pretty expensive, around €14. Of course, a stein holds two pints of beer, which takes the price to €7 a pint. Coming from London, this didn’t seem extortionate to us, but is definitely on the more expensive end of the spectrum of beer prices.

The good side is that the steins did last us quite a long time, due to the sheer quantity of beer (plus, as I mentioned, I’m not normally a beer drinker), so overall I didn’t spend as much as an accustomed beer drinker might spend! Also, to note, the beers are a higher percentage of alcohol than a standard beer, which is something to keep in mind.

4. The beer tents will close if they get too busy

One thing that we didn’t realise is that as soon as the beer tents get too busy, they will close the doors and will not reopen them. This tends to happen around 3-4pm in the afternoon, which takes me back to the point I made earlier – that once you are inside a tent, the best advice would be to stay there for the day!

Whilst closing the tents is definitely necessary from an overcrowding point of view, it does make it tricky if you want to visit more than one tent. We quickly learnt our lesson when we left our first beer tent and weren’t able to enter a new one. However, in most places you are able to sit outside and order beers, which is a great alternative and is what we did for the later part of the afternoon. The outside areas are a lot quieter, have more space and we still managed to meet lots of new people and make some new friends.

5. Germany has a huge array of beer festivals outside of Munich

Whilst Munich Oktoberfest is definitely the most renowned beer festival in Germany, you will find many similar beer festivals across Germany. Several locals we met told us about smaller festivals, local to their towns which have a similar experience, but on a much smaller, less commercialised scale. Whilst Munich Oktoberfest was definitely a bucket list item for me, I would love to experience some of these smaller, more local festivals in the future.  

With this in mind, would I go back to Oktoberfest in Munich?

Whilst it was an incredible thing to experience, I don’t think I would rush back. Other than not being a beer drinker, the festival is extremely hectic, the beers are pricey and I’d love to experience a similar festival elsewhere in Germany, away from the huge crowds. However, I do think I could be persuaded if the opportunity comes up again, I would just make sure to learn from the things I discovered the first time!