Oktoberfest, a whole new kind of communal living

By: Laura Dalton

Watching the sun rise over the hazy Munich skyline, I was cold, sober, and had been waiting in line for more than two hours. What could have prompted me and more than 10,000 others from around the world to volunteer for such a predicament?

Simple, beer.

Dawn broke on September 27 and the tent’s doors opened, the crowd surged forward to engage in the debauchery of the 175th annual Oktoberfest, a dream come true for young Americans who at home are normally not allowed into bars of any kind.

Here, they imbibe in a manner that some unkind souls might call binge drinking, while others would label it freedom.

Inside the legendary Oktoberfest, enormous tents stood throughout the grounds, looming over carnival rides, sausage stands, and thousands of people ready to party. As grown men skipped by in full Lederhosen suits and the echo of drinking chants broke through the morning air, I kept asking myself, “What is this place?!”

I asked more or less the same question to the cast of characters I encountered: “In one sentence, what is the meaning of Oktoberfest?”

1. A love-struck Italian: “Oktoberfest…it’s a beautiful, beautiful girl. It’s a beer. It’s you.”
2. Incognito diplomat/beauty queen: “One sentence? Ok. I like all people: American, Japan, Italy, German.”
3. Waitress skillfully carrying ten steins: “It’s horrible!”
4. Jaded security guard: “I need to do my job.”
5. Middle-aged German man: “My Lederhosen are very expensive.”
6. German who ignored me, but took an interest in my Chinese friend, whose name is not Jane: “China! Asian Jane, will you marry me?”
7. Cranky 20-something New Yorker using a beer stein as a make-shift pillow: “Wake me up once, shame on you. Wake me up twice; I’ll stab you in the elbow.”
8. Drunken philosophizing Middlebury College student: “Oktoberfest is not a normal weekend and today is not yesterday. I’m getting a meter-long bratwurst.”
9. Young London It Girl stumbling out of the Hofbrau Festzelt tent, the largest and most well known at the festival: “The meaning of Oktoberfest? Hmm… I don’t remember it.”
10. Angry Kiwi: “Oktoberfest is Disneyland on LSD for adults. You’re from America? Your country invented LSD. And Disneyland. American is gonna’ put the rest of the world in the mother f*cking depression. Bush is a gorilla.”

***

Psyched to go to the 2009 festival?

The festivities start on Saturday, September 19th and will run through Sunday, October 4th. Unfortunately, the cost of beer is estimated to increase slightly. A liter of beer in 2008 cost between 7.30 and 7.90 euros ($9.30-$10); in 2009 a liter will cost between 7.80 and 8.30 euros ($10-$10.50).

It might sound expensive, but wait till you see the size of the steins. Plus, the trip from Prague to Munich is simple and relatively cheap.

Munich’s public transportation is foreigner-friendly, so getting to the festivities which are located just outside the center of Munich is manageable, even in drunken stupors. It is smarter and probably less stressful to plan early, but spur of the moment travelers won’t be out of luck.

Transportation:

Obviously flights are the most convenient, but the trip is feasible by train or bus.

While it is possible to book train and bus travel on-line; it is easier to go to the station. Buying your tickets in advance is a good precaution, but it won’t help the price and it isn’t unheard of to find tickets at the last minute.

An overnight Student Agency bus leaves Prague’s Florenc station four times a week at 23:55 and arrives in Munich at 5:30 a.m. the next day. The price is around 18 euros ($23) for students.

Overnight and day trains leave three times a day from Prague’s Hlvani Nadrazi train station. It costs anywhere from 30-70 euros ($37-$88) depending on the seat you have. If you are going with a large group, buy your tickets in bulk as group tickets are discounted. The trip will take between 5-7 hours.

Where to Stay:

Rumors run rampant that all hostels and hotels are booked months or even years in advance. Not true.

It might cause you some headache, but finding a bed upon arrival is possible. A number of hostels and hotels leave a set number of rooms open for last-minute attendees, at a heightened price of course.

A & 0 Hostel and Meininger City Hostel are both located within walking distance from all the festivities. The best rate for hostels during Oktoberfest is probably around 39 euros ($49) a night.

Worst case scenario: you pass out on a bench. It’s probably the most acceptable time in your life to do it.

Warnings:

As a general rule of thumb, do not try to drive to, from, or anywhere in the vicinity of Oktoberfest. Don’t feel too much pressure to partake in the tradition of visiting the carnival after finishing every stein of beer. Supposedly, the beer is exceptionally strong… maybe eat a lot of sausages.

Helpful links:

For a countdown and other information on the 176th Oktoberfest click here.

Transportation links:

http://www.visitingeu.com/central-europe/czech-republic/2007/04/prague-transportation-guide.html

By plane:

http://skyeurope.com/

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.edreams.com

By train:

http://www.raileurope.co.uk

http://www.cd.cz/index

Hostels:

http://www.hostelmunich.com/

http://www.hostelsclub.com/city-en-141-Munich.html

http://www.hostelz.com/hostels/Germany/Bavaria-(Bayern)/Munich

Laura Dalton is a third-year student at Middlebury College studying english. She is from Simsbury, Connecticut.