Party in Munich – as good as it gets

Twelve fireworks and ‘O´zapft is!’ (it’s tapped!). Chaos rules the city as over six million people pour into Oktoberfest, the majority wearing Dirndls and Lederhosen, singing and dancing upon tables and enjoying the smell of sweet almonds and smoked mackerel which engulfs Munich.

The largest folk festival in the world is a display of extravagances. Blinding lights and loud music accompany the wild roller coasters. The newest addition to the ‘Wiesn’ (the meadow upon which Oktoberfest is staged) is the ‘Höllenblitz’, a ride that resembles a gold mine. Daredevils test their nerves on the fifty meter-high EuroStar which has tracks attached underneath instead of above, creating the illusion of flight. Fans of bungee-jumping make their way to the Freefall-Tower where they are thrown 42 metres into the air, only to be raced back down to ground level. Here’s to those with strong stomachs!

Those less keen on the ultimate thrill and more focused on tradition would be better served at Manfred Schauer’s Theatre, ‘Auf geht’s beim Schichtl’. Since 1869, one has been able to experience such oddities as the beheading of a live person using a guillotine and other such spectacular illusions.

The league of gigantic beer-tents is led by the ‘Hippodrom’. Popular not just for its celebrities and high flirt-factor, it also boasts a champagne bar. The ‘Schottenhamel’ holds ten thousand people and is famed for its traditional brass music. Last year, 61,000hl of beer were poured and half a million chickens consumed. The extremely high beer prices are no deterrent, this year costing around €7.80 per ‘Mass’ (a litre glass).

The reason the celebrations are called ‘Oktoberfest’, despite beginning in September, is due to the fact that they originally took place from 12^th-17^th October in honour of the wedding of Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburgshausen. The ceremonial climax was marked by a horse race. The people of Munich enjoyed the festival at the ‘Theresienwiese’ so much that it was repeated in the following years, but brought forward on account of weather conditions to September.

The residents of Munich sure know how to party. As soon as the ‘Wiesn’ is over, the ‘Auer’ Fair opens its doors and booths. From the 20^th-28^th October, the ‘Kirchweihdult’ at Mariahilfplatz invites guests for browsing. Make sure you set aside enough time for the jumble sales and antique stands: a pretty chamber pot from King Ludwig’s era may be spotted next to a antique iron, which doubles equally well as a decoration or a plant pot.

A real find is the ‘Billige Jacob’ stall which sells goods for just one Euro. One can sniff out anything from antique books to original Indian jewellery, medicinal herbs and traditional pottery. The delicious plum tarts and hot ‘Dampfnudeln’ (German yeast dumplings) are to be found next to the nostalgic carousels for the little ones. All in all, the fair is a very cosy one. The Merry-go-rounds, bumper cars, shooting galleries and pony rides don’t have much in common with the hectic and noisy frivolities of the Oktoberfest. Maybe it’s because the ‘Dult’ began in 1310, some 500 years before the Oktoberfest.


by Karin Nagl