If you have no reservations, go during the weekdays… get a beer tent seat before 11am max and stay put for as long as you can.

So if I come around 11 and want to stay… can I keep my spot or will people with reservations come and kick me out?
 
How does this whole thing work…. i thought i saw this somewhere on here but now i can’t find the procedures

Many table will not have RESERVAT or RESERVED signs on them.  If you sit at a table without such a sign at 1100 or noon, you can stay as long as you like…

If you find a table at or before 11am… if there is a reserved sign on the table you can stay there until the reservation, so not only look for ones without, but look for ones that are reserved for later like 5pm.

PS. after 5 hours of sitting there drinking beer you will want to leave for awhile anyway… then you can return to the fest around 9pm. The Hofbrau tent has a standing room which as soon as you squeeze into, you’ll be able to get a beer from the next passing wench… and wind down the next 2 hours of mayhem before the cops kick you out and you must head over to the wine or schnapps tents.
 
Hofbrau advice:
 
Learn these lyrics…
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi,
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der gemütlichkeit!
(Cheer!) Oans, zwoa, drei, Gsuffa!
 
Watch out for pee!
 

lol thanks Luv beers… i’m quite familiar with the song because i grew up north of milwaukee where they have their annual german fest.  We always had german singers and actual germans there dancing on the tables at like 5pm in the afternoon lol… good times… this just brought back memories for me thanks lol

When are you going? Another tip is, try to avoid going in a group. Much easier to find 2 spots than 6 if you know what I mean.

I leave Wednesday Sept 26th out of newark and return on Wednesday October 3rd

Darn LaurenN!!!  I will miss ya by a half day!
 
ONLY 15 days to go now!

but she will be there the same time as us! I am disappointed im going to miss u Sun. 9/27-10/4.  Damn im still at 20 days!

Next year:  I will arrive on the middle Sunday & Monday… 
 
ZWEI WOCHE FUR DER WEISN!

I can smell the chicken and cinnamon chestnuts already…

12 Tage ist alles!

5 Days to go!

8 days here!

8 days for me too!  I leave one week from tomorrow out of newark.  I’m getting so excited! Today i made a little euro conversion chart.  Quite sad that 20e will be costing me $27.74.  This is going to be one expensive drinking fest for me lol

yea, the euro hit an all time high against the dollar last week….lucky us.  However, that wouldnt be nearly enough to bring me down!

That is exactly why I purchased all my EURO’s back in March of 2007.  The girl said to me “Oh, cool..  when are you going?”  I replied “In late-Sept.”  She said, “And you’re buying EURO’s now??”…  The Dollar has been on a friggin tailspin for 3 or 4 years, and I knew it would not improve.  It cost me $810 for 620 EUR then….  Arrrggghhh!

Only 3 days to go!
 
My cell # in Deutschland:  49-176-1736-8633

started the countdown @220 days….i am officially at one week!

as an aside, i have not learned an ounce of german….ack! 

It’s funny i was just going to post something about this today. I’ve heard that most everyone speaks english? So it’s not hard to get by around germany is it? 

i just think it would be presumtious of me to assume everyone speaks english.  I probably come off as a typical american as it is…..i will at least learn to say, “do you speak english” in german.  I figure all german lessons would go out the window after some beers anyway.

Yeah i was good when i went to france, and then colombia and dominican republic… but german…. i can say do you speak english and yes i will have another beer thank you lol

lol, cant go wrong with keeping it simple.

I’ve got a question; what time we have should to arrive @ Hippo to be sure to have a nice place on Saterday 29th of September??
 
Tanks

Owkay Thanks, And how late the doors go open at Sunday??

10 days to go for me!!!  We’ll be closing down the tents just like last year!!!

OK

Anyone going to be there this Friday & Saturday and want a meetup?

This will be something like my 16th or 17th (!) – I always seem to miss Sunskin as we always go the middle weekend

Was planning on a quiet trip, but what the hell – get mashed as usual…..

Be safe people!

TonyB
 
PS – As luvbeers says, get there early on the weekends and pace yourself – you really need to be in around 10:00 to 10:30 ish…..

TonyB will be visiting his 20th Weis’N in accordance with the upcoming BIG 2010 (Zwei Hundert Yahre) Oktoberfest im Munchen… 

how many you up to sun?

2008 will be lucky dozen for me…  Number 12 in Germany + a couple of bier fests (Craft Beers) here in the U.S.

I am planning on going to Octoberfest this year. I was wondering when is a good time to buy airline tickets. I am flying from Boston. I looked this week but they are in the $750-$900 range and I think I should be able to get them for less if I wait longer.

You should be able to get something in the $599 to $659 range from BOS to MUC.  It is always cheaper to fly-in to Frankfurt(FRA), but less convenient.  Even out of NE airports / major hubs like BOS, EWR, JFK, PHL – it’s still a bit more expensive in Sept. to MUC… because of the fest.

I paid $600 (in feb) from JFK to MUC last fest.  I saw $500 in january but didnt pull the trigger fast enough.

I am flying for free, but may upgrade with miles to Bus. Class…  However, I will keep an eye on fares.  They start certain promotional fares in Feb. / Mar. time frame, but those usually do not include goint into MUC during Sept.

So, if I decide to partake in Oktoberfest I simply arrive in Berlin, scrounge for a seat in a tent and drink beer? 
 
How much of a bankroll is recommended?  Does the drinker pay per beer or is there some kind of a voucher system? 
 
Oktoberfest seems like one of those things you should try at least once in your life.
 
Perhaps The Herr is down for some Oktoberfest action! 

well…if you arrive in berlin you will be in the wrong place.  The true oktoberfest actually takes place in Munich.  Yes, all you need to do is grab an open seat and buy a beer.  The beers are paid for on the spot and are a set price in all of the tents.  This year they were 7.85 Euro.  However, since they are served by the liter, its equvalent to three standard US beers. 
 
Last year was my first fest and I will be going back this year.  Everyone should attend at least once.  Granted, im sure you will want to go back.

lol…thanks for pointing out my mistake.  I have Berlin on the brain (going there this year).  I swear I knew Oktoberfest is in Munich!

Hey, you can find great bier in Berlin as well!  You’ll just be 5-6 hours away from the fest – by train.  No worries.  Please keep us posted on your plans & arrival dates.

Absolutely right, Oktoberfest is definitely an event you want to attend at least once in your lifetime. If you’re at all like me though, once you go, you will want to return. If you can appreciate great beer in a gigantic mug served by beautiful women in an upbeat friendly atmosphere then the Oktoberfest is for you. My main word of advice though is to book early! Hotels, etc. all fill up quickly. You can also save a few bucks by flying to Frankfurt and taking a train.

I had good luck booking a hotel right next door to the main attraction. Hotel Fidelio, it was a nice place. I found it through Munich Oktoberfest Hotels.

Please feel free to ask any questions, by no means am I an expert on the Oktoberfest, but I can give a few tips, and send along a few photos .

Hi everyone-

I’m going to my first Oktoberfest this year with my sister from Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 (weekdays.) I figure that’ll be easier to get into a tent without tickets. We have a place to stay already.

Anything else I need to do? Or is it kind of show up, drink, party, enjoy, and then repeat? I don’t want to forget any major detail that ends up ruining the trip.

THANKS!