I joined my film crew in Munich this year for Oktoberfest — the last festival we’re filming for our “Europe’s Top Ten Festivals” special that will air on public television in 2017. Oktoberfest goes for 16 straight days, usually starting on the third Saturday in September. Here are some thoughts and a few tips after my visit this week:
- It’s massive (serving literally millions each year in 16 tents, each filled with about 8,000 people). Each of the leading local breweries has its own tent. The famous ones (Augustiner Bräu and Hofbräu) are most crowded and touristy.
- It’s well organized (they’ve been at it annually for 200 years).
- Security is tight as this would be an ideal target for terrorist (a fence is newly added around the perimeter, there are thousands of police and security at each entrance, each tent has its own security, and no large bags are allowed). In spite of the high alert, it all felt relaxed and fun.
- Anyone can enjoy this. It’s busiest late and on weekends, but weekday afternoons and early evenings are a delight when it’s family-friendly. (I’d highly recommend enjoying it Monday through Thursday during the late afternoon and early evening; if you don’t like drunken brawls, avoid it after dark.) Popular tents do fill up and can have long waiting lines. It’s free except for your €10 beers (that’s for an entire liter), food, and rides. English works everywhere and people are friendly. It’s tradition to sit at any table that can fit an extra rear end. Jump right into the conversation with a clink of the glass mug.
- It feels local. While there are plenty of tourists, it’s estimated that 90 percent of the attendees are Bavarians. Locals love to dress up in traditional garb and gather their friends at their favorite beer tent to enjoy a fun evening meal with drinking and music.
- The famous beer maids make you think, “Who needs Hooters?”. These women are generally amateur servers who take two weeks of their generous paid vacation time to work hard here and make some serious extra money. Each tent considers them independent businesses — they buy the beer or pretzels or whatever at a wholesale price from the big kitchens, and then are free to sell them anywhere in the tent. And pricing beers at €10.50 makes it hard not to tip (if they were an even €10, I imagine earnings would take a huge hit).
I must close with a political observation. (If that will anger you, you might just stop reading now and leave today’s post with nice beer-and-dirndl thoughts.) While enjoying this happy festival, I was struck by how the crowd was 90 percent local and how I felt I was in a country with a healthy middle class. It’s fair to say that the vast majority of Germans are middle class. They live in a country where progressive taxation, a $15 minimum wage, one-month paid vacations, and affordable health care are not controversial issues. And they easily afford fun such as this. In my travels, I’ve observed that when a society’s middle class is shrinking and under siege, so is the societal well-being of that entire nation. Over all, Germany and the USA are similarly successful economically. But Germany has more people in the middle and fewer at the extremes, while America has more of the rich and far more people struggling. If I had a red hat with a political slogan to wear, it would say, “Make Our Middle Class Great Again.” And I wouldn’t buy that trickle-down stuff our big-business elites (“job creators” and their friends) keep preaching.
Well said and seconded, Steve!
Well then Rick you must be for Donald Trump because the candidate supported buy all those rich 1 per centers is Clinton! Things that should make you stop & think
Unlike many in the US & Canada Europeans are not stupid, & “do not buy that trickle-down stuff our big-business elites (“job creators” and their friends) keep preaching”.
You are an intelligent critical thinker. Outspoken in spite of the obvious cost & one of my heroes.
Question: Why are so many people that live in our society so stupid??
Thank you, Rick. Your observations are so valuable and I appreciate your courage in stating them. I could not agree more.
Everyone in the top one percent are all in for Clinton.
Wall Street, Big Pharma, Monsanto, the war profiteers, you name it they all want Clinton.
Her policies will decimate the middle class of America.
The people who can afford $100,000 a plate dinners on the Hamptons support Clinton.
Her running mate, Time Kaine, supports right to work laws, Wall Street and the TPP – he is a disaster for the middle class.
Nobody who cares about our middle class can support Hillary Clinton, based on her record, her policies and, you know, FACTS.
Hi, Rick! I love Oktoberfest in Munich, and I also love Oktoberfests in the US, both large and small, as long as they have their priorities in order: gemutlichkeit, good beer and good food! Music, dancing, traditional dress and other entertainments are an added plus, but not essential. Gemutlichkeit is essential. But nothing matches Munich. If anyone out there is on the fence, thinking, “maybe I should go, but maybe not,” well: GO! GO! You will love it.
Amen brother! Make our middle class great again!
Rick,
You are so right! It’s hard to understand how the Trump supporters all say Clinton is bad for the middle class and that Trump would be good for the middle class—it’s like they have all been brainwashed. It’s ironic that that (brainwashed citizens) is exactly what happened in Germany 80 years ago—brainwashed citizens who believed in a supposedly “heroic figure” who promised to make their country great again. I pray that people here in the USA don’t take that route.
The brainwashed and ignorant Clinton supporters are too lazy to do the research on her plans. More war, more Wall Street crime and theft, more middle class crushing trade deals, more right to work laws, reforming Social Security (Hillary’s words).
I used to think the Teapartiers were ignorant, but the Clinton supporters make them look downright informed.
Hillary did not take tens of millions from the Wall Street crime syndicates to help the middle class, get a clue.
There is only one candidate that will help the middle class, Jill Stein.
She is also the only candidate pro marijuana. Shame on anyone who does not support the only progressive running.
I was at Munich Oktoberfest in 2014 at 9:30 in the morning of the last day. I was traveling with a friend and we had a 7 hour layover in Munich, so we took the train into town. What a blast, even at 9:30 in the morning!
Thank you, Rick, for having the courage to share your very astute observations. Our family wholeheartedly agrees with you.
In 2007, a highlight of our BOE tour included a weekday late afternoon at Octoberfest! A perfect time, as you say, to enjoy but not be overwhelmed. Keep commenting too Rick. Good sense and sound thinking will prevail in this election, yet if the worst happens, we’ll survive it and learn the truth…perhaps in a hard way. Thanks for great travel inspiration and positive attitudes in this unsettled time!
Oktoberfest is number one on my bucket list. Thanks for the review.
Hi Rick,
I would love to take a vacation from US politics.
Keep on traveling!
Characterizing Mr. Trump as a “man of the people” just goes to show what a good tv personality he is. But Presidential?
Dear Rick and Ricknics,
Right on brother.
I much rather talk beer and Bavarians than American politics. In fact, I’m going to the frig now and get a Budweiser to get in the Oktoberfest spirit!
P.S. I enjoyed the Hofbrauhaus in Munchen years ago.
Your Doppelganger
Median Income in US is higher than Germany – you can very easily see that in OECD numbers. U.S. 4th behind Lux, Norway and Switz. Germany in the teens. I think Rick would also be surprised at how close Germany tax rates are to the U.S.;except for the corporate tax rate in Germany is 15% rather than U.S. rate of 35%.
I think Rick’s perception is not reality…probably watching too much U.S. news or getting information from a post on a blog.
Thanks, Rick. I couldn’t have said it better. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for some people to see that trickle-down and big tax cuts haven’t worked.
Trump’s plan is to reduce business tax rates so the US can compete with Germany and others. Hillary’s plan? Raise taxes. Trump also wants to cut back on US involvement in foreign wars, which has cost Americans trillions. Hillary? She voted for Iraq, did nothing about ISIS (the JV team), started the Arab spring, and made a mess in Libya.
Yet Rick Steves somehow can’t understand why Americans support Trump. I guess we’re all deplorable in his mind too.
I was at Oktoberfest last Friday and had a blast!!! I even met a couple from Portland who were fellow Road Scholars and we ended up exploring tents together.
Rick you’re the best. Everyone let’s keep on traveling!!!