Linda C.

Oktoberfest is basically a giant carnival mixed with the world's best beer party, and it's freaking awesome!!! For my fellow Americans or any first timers, here are some tips I wish I knew before going: 1.) If you decide to dress up, plan your outfit ahead of time. Order a dirndl (women) or lederhosen (men) online before your trip, you'll save money, time and stress. Shops in Munich offer authentic stunning traditional gear, but many charge €700-1000. Yes there are cheaper options, but styles are limited. It also REALLY sucks taking everything on & off in the fitting rooms. Don't waste your time abroad, just get it in your home country. Accessories like pins, feathered hats, or pretzel earrings are way cheaper to grab beforehand too. Trust me, you'll get hat envy once you're there!!! 2.) Bring cash. Many tents and food stands don't take cards. Waiters carrying ten steins at once won't pause for fumbling, have cash ready. €100-120 was more than enough for me 3.) Make reservations for tables ahead of time to sit in the beer tents!!!! Or get there early if you want a table. Once things get busy, finding space is almost impossible, especially for groups. Tent hopping is harder than it looks. 4.) Wear comfy shoes. You'll be walking a ton. Heels? I saw people survive them, but personally, I'd be done for. 5.) Consider booking a tour with a table reservation. We went through Fat Tire Tours and our guide, Mark, was fantastic. Having a reserved table made the day way easier. 6.) Bring a refillable water bottle. It has to be empty when you enter, but you can fill it up inside at the various watering stations. Buying water adds up fast (one tent was selling water for €10), so this is a lifesaver. We bought one outside for €3 at a convenience store, emptied it, and reused it all day. 7.) Layer smart. Bring a jacket you can tie around your waist or a packable puffer you can stash in a bag. It's chilly outside but warm in the tents. Tossing a jacket on the floor just means beer and boots will destroy it. 8.) Most stands outside the tents will charge you a deposit for plates, glasses, and mugs...make sure to return them when you're done eating to get your deposit back!!! 9.) you cannot bring food that you bought from the vendors outside into the tents. I had to drink my coffee and eat my tiramisu before heading back into the tent, and couldn't bring anything back for my friends. 10.) Try a radler!!! It's delicious. It's half beer, half lemon flavored soft drink. 11.) Looking for a bathroom? Look for the angel / cherubs sitting on a toilet with a bow and arrow pointing towards the toilets! See my photo. Also, carry some €0.50 or €1 coins for the bathrooms, you place it on the plates when going in. The whole vibe is pure joy: music blasting, strangers becoming friends in seconds, and the entire city celebrating together. Oktoberfest is a true bucket-list experience, you'll walk away with great memories, sore feet, and probably a funny souvenir you don't remember buying.

Sydney B.

I will forever be in shock that my first international trip was to the work's largest beer festival. I've been to Oktoberfest knock-offs in the past but experiencing the real deal just hits different. There a group of us visited opening day and we managed to get a table without reservation. It's possible but hard since everyone else there is doing the same thing. They serve only one kind of beer but it is fantastic. It's very strong so one stein made me have a good time. If you're not a beer drinker, there is so much more to do. They have shops, rides and entertainment. You can easily spend a couple days here and not get bored.

Will M.

Any beer fan or carnival fan should have this on their bucket list. Bring a lot of euros, things aren't cheap. Tents will fill up by mid afternoon. Service and live music is great.

Daniel C.

Finally got to attend Oktoberfest in Munich! It wasn't in our itinerary at first but what can Mink do when I book everything that's non refundable before she can say no? Hehe. Some things I learned coming here: 1) Book a hotel early because this event is popular with about seven million people in attendance annually. We didn't book early and hotels were slim pickings. The prices were also outrageous. $100ish you're looking at camping. $150-$200 you're looking at a hostel. $200ish up you're looking at junk motel quality rooms if you can find one near festivities. Then it just jumps to several hundred a night. We heard from several people that some people book a year in advance. 2) Bring cash! To my knowledge, everyone accepted only cash and everything adds up. A beer is 15 Euro at the tents we went to and water was 6 Euros. Safe to bring a little more than less but there are ATM's everywhere. It's also good to have to tip your servers. 3) Learn some German because not everyone speaks English. It goes a long way and they make the effort if you do. Google Translate was very useful. 4) Pace yourself because we saw people passed out by noon! They offer half beer and half lemonade if you want to stretch out your drinking. 5) Do not bring a large bag to the event. You will have to check it into a locker if you do. It's not permitted inside. It'll be 5 Euro to check in your bag if you get turned away by security. We learned the hard way. 6) You can get Lederhosen and Dirndl at various shops all over. Some have huge sales so you don't have to bring any over. We weren't sure about sizing so we ordered and brought over just in case. 7) If you're budget conscious, pregame before you go in to save some money. It's definitely marked up for everything inside. No shame because you'll see lots of people doing it. This is a huge event and we were fortunate to come on the very last day. Since it was the last day, we went to the Bavaria Statue at noon for the closing ceremony and gun salute. Weather smiled upon us because the day we got into Munich, it was raining a lot. Fortunately it cleared up nicely on the following day and we got to enjoy the event without rain. After the event, Mink admitted that it was more fun than she anticipated and it was worth coming to. Another bucket list item checked off the list!

Terrence Y.

Made it to Oktoberfest. It is everything that it claims to be and more. I think most Americans only hear about the beer tents and the drinking, but there's so much more to the Oktoberfest. It's one of the largest fairs I've ever been to and they serve all the other alcohol, besides beer, throughout. There are rides, games, food, drinks and people watching. One of the best parties I have ever been to.

Kamron H.

If you haven't been to Oktoberfest is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Even if you're not a beer lover you definitely reap the reward of experience something truly new, unique, yet alone special. This festival is like if Mardi Gras & Coachella had a beer festival baby. Plus, you get an excuse to dress up in lederhosens and dirndls. I'd recommend booking hotels 6 months in advance if not sooner and staying with walking distance of festival grounds. Cabs and Ubers are hard to get if you're a guy. I'd also recommend having cash on hand for each tent you visit as it's pretty much the only way to get food and drink. For food I'd recommend getting it at the stands, otherwise at tents it can get pretty pricey. If you're in a group of 4 or less then you can manage to get tables in tents without reservations. Otherwise, I'd recommend booking tables in advance if your party is larger. Nevertheless this festive truly festive and a big reason why people all over the world come here.

Colby D.

How could I not make *the* Oktoberfest experience my 1000th review? Well it's almost a year late but it's time for me to put thumb to phone screen. It took me 28+ years, 6000+ miles, and...a lot of money to come here for the 188th Oktoberfest last year, and it was such a cool experience. We were staying about an hour and a half away in Austria, so our day was a long one. A day full of drinking, sandwiched between two not-super-comfortable car rides--but the beer was crisp and the food was delectable. So for those who don't know, here's the lowdown: Unlike in the US, you don't pay to enter the event, you just pay by the item (unless you go into a special tent). There are 14 tents with different ~vibes~, from #localsonly after a day of work to those tents where everyone is yell-singing and standing on the benches, with a variety of beers and food spread throughout. The weekends are substantially more wild than the weekdays, but that doesn't mean weekdays are boring. Just know that if you go during a Friday or Saturday, you'll probably have a difficult time finding space in the more popular tents in the evening so come EARLY and expect to kinda stay in one spot for most of the day. I came with my immediate and some extended family, and we arrived in the morning on Friday. The crowd slowly picked up as the day went on, and as a group of nine, we only made it into three of the bigger tents before stopping in Haxnbraterei for some food. Then my extended family took off and my sister and I stayed for another couple steins at Hofbrauhaus. It took a while to find a spot in the Hofbrauhaus tent, even for just the two of us, and tbh there were a number of rude groups who had space next to them but weren't willing to let my sister and I sit with them. Judging by their behavior, I'm assuming it was because they thought we didn't look cute enough for them and they wanted to save the space for someones else, but that was one of only two negative things about this experience. Once we finally got seated, though, we met some great people and stayed a few more hours. Got to stand up and sing the songs and dance to the music, yadda yadda. Thankfully our parents were waiting in the car to drive us because we got, unsurprisingly, incredibly drunk, to the point where it was a miracle that we made our way to the front of the fest safely. The other part of the festival that wasn't so great was that my dad noticed there were a ton of creepy single guys standing around, seemingly to pick up people who are intoxicated. So my hot tips are: 1. Wear comfortable shoes, even if they don't match your dirndl 2. Bring cash (my friend had her credit card number stolen) 3. For every stein of beer, drink a stein of water 4. Eat!! 5. Buddy system whenever you're not in a tent 6. Beware of puke hill (unless you need to use it)

Richard J.

Something everyone should experience, I thought that I might be too old for the crowd, but there were babies to eighty year olds. I did the trip because I wanted to visit Germany, and it wasn't just for Oktoberfest. We spent our second day there, and went back for a few hours one evening, the evening is a much more ruckus crowd, I enjoyed the daytime atmosphere more, but I didn't see any real trouble, just a lot of very intoxicated people. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. We reserved seats at a table in the Hofbrauhaus tent, which came with a half chicken and two liters of very strong beer. Our table mates were from all over the world. We visited a couple of the other tents, I was surprised that besides the Bavarian music, there were a lot of American songs, the two most popular seamed to be Take me home country roads, and Sweet Caroline.

Kris L.

Oktoberfest is a must do once in your lifetime. I have been twice and it just seems to keep growing with a huge number of carnival rides, food, chocolate, and beer everywhere. We went on a Tuesday just after lunch time in order to ensure we could get into our top choice - the gourmet food lover's dream at the smaller Feinkost Kafer. Bands were already playing and people were dancing and we got the last two person table - snuggly located under the stairs. It might seem like an odd place to sit but it was great for people watching. The food did not disappoint. We tried two sampler plates of salads and meats and cheeses and everything was super fresh, decorated in edible flowers, fresh garnishes of radish and greens. The salad sampler had egg salad, crayfish salad and walnut slaw, while the Kafer Brettl sampler plate had fresh mozzarella tomato, beet hummus, eg, ham, radishes, smoked salmon, salmon salad, cheese. Lever pate and sausages - wow! We also poked into many of the large beer gardens, sampled chocolate covered bananas and enjoyed the decorated horse beer carts and watching the carnival games. On this second trip, it took quite some time to navigate the entrance and exit as you are funneled through one main central area. 7 years ago, I walked straight in. I guess it is a sign of the times with added security.

Ken M.

This was a major item on my bucket list. The number and size of the beer halls are breathtaking. Each one is a sea of tables that get filled to capacity within hours of opening each morning. If you have a large enough group, you can reserve a table online in advance. This is common for Germans and folks from neighboring countries. Harder to do if you're coming from further abroad, but worth it if you can pull it off by organizing such a caravan well in advance. For everyone else, a minority of the tables are first-come. So, each table that my friend and I sat at was shared with other folks, who you regularly prost with. Some could speak to us in English, and help educate us about life in Munich. It did rain a lot for the first two days we were there, so wear layers for warmth and bring an umbrella or rain coat. Yet, the outdoor tables remain full as people are too festive to be fazed by the intermittent showers. Oktoberfestbier is the standard style, as a one-liter serving in a stein. Some halls also offer an alcohol-free version. Wheat beer is sometimes available, but only in the outdoor section called the beer garden. Beer hall menus include food. There is also a plethora of food vendors along the walkways between the beer halls and in the carnival area. To my surprise, vegan options are universally available, as they are more widely adopted than in the United States. The same is true throughout Munich. The size and quality of carnival rides are better than any I've seen in the U.S. Lederhosen is the prevailing mode of dress for men; and the traditional dresses for women. I like that there is no admission fee, which allows you to spend all your money directly on beer, food, entertainment, and souvenirs.

Chris K.

One of a kind experience! Grab a table when you can and dive into the Bavarian culture! Definitely a must! Get your dirndls and lederhosen and get over here! Great food, great times! If you're coming into Munich, look into a train ride or two. Always a good way to see the city in a blip! If you like pork, I recommend the Scweinshaxe! DELICIOUS

Jay R.

Be forewarned that if you're in your twenties or early thirties, you may have far more fun than I'm about to summarize as a disappointment. Specifically, if you love to drink in crowded areas isolated just to tents and a few small stands then this is your place. Personally and having lived in Germany for two years, I expected more traditional Bavarian culture but instead I got the world's biggest "cheap"/cheesy carnival ($5-20 USD per ride). The rides are basic and you've seen them time and time again. You'll spend way more than you should to experience wild drunks, occasional open drug use, litter and horse sh*t everywhere. To get back to your place, you'll then have to navigate around broken beer bottles on the sidewalks (not a lot but some) along with a near constant array of aggressive shoulder checks from oblivious people which was one of the most annoying parts of visiting both Italy and Germany. Sound fun yet? This wasn't worth the time for me other than checking a box. People stress the lack of restrooms while visiting. Men will have an easier time but it wasn't an issue. The surprising lack of trash cans was what caught me off guard. Seems like a pretty obvious thing to have ready yet they have barely any and you can tell by the end of each night. Hmmmm, how could they ever reduce this problem? The biggest beer tents are a fun experience until the evening when they're overcrowded. There's a traditional section that is a scaled down version and better when the crowds get too big. Excuse the rambling but just save yourself from this overrated experience and go to one of the famous beer house restaurants since the beer is second to none. This is what I wish I had done. Also enjoy some of the most breathtaking countryside on the planet in Bavaria. Pictures don't do it justice and you'll think you've seen every shade of green. ...I'm willing to bet this review will be relevant to Oktoberfest beyond 2024.

Myphuong L.

If you live in US, the best way to describe Oktoberfest is the State Fair meets European Christmas/Easter market times 2 because it's all carnival games and rides like the Fair or even a mini amusement park. The vendors are equivalent to the Christmas/Easter market. We came second to last day an hour after they opened which was already packed. Just follow the people in the traditional attire around the city and in the subway and you're going the right direction. It's free to enter, they have security check your bags. I read that you could have a maximum of 20x15x10 cm for bags. When we were inside, I saw so many oversized bags like backpacks and female handbags. However, our friend met us up later and she said they gave her a ticket to check in her backpack and to downside. Bring cash. A few atms around. Some of the vendors take credit card but above 10€. The beer garden we were at was cash only. This was Paulaner. Restrooms are free. There's also a drinking fountain at one of the beer gardens. This place is massive, we spent all day. 1L of beer was 14€ standard everywhere. For food we got the Half chicken with potato salad and sausages. Took 45 minutes. The server said everything else would take two hours. We sat outdoors. Indoors will most likely need reservations. Later in the day, they had a line to enter each garden. You can purchase food outside of the garden which is cheaper but there are no seats. There are kiosks that sells wine so you're not limited to just beer. As far as dressing up, I would say 80% of the locals were dressed up.