Oktoberfest, Munich

Favorite thing: I think there are to places that are wordwide known about Munich, it is the Hofbräuhaus and the Oktoberfest...well, so...in other words all around B E E R.
Munich has surely a lot more to offer, but this shouldn´t be forgotten here to mention, of course. Look at the t-logue
to get some few impressions of this HUGE funfair.

Favorite thing: Every year, Munich hosts the biggest beer fair in the world – the traditional Oktoberfest, which starts in September. It is originally from Munich, but it has already taken to all over the world. Traditional Bavarian dishes are also part of the fair – sauerkraut, bockwurst and pork knee are the most common ones. German cuisine uses a lot of pork, especially for different kinds of sausages and frankfurters.

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Favorite thing: Here is a general list of facts concerning Octoberfest
• Area: 0.42 km2 (103.78 acres)
• Seats in the festival halls: approx. 100,000 (you are thinking this is enough?)
• Visitors: 6.2 million
• Beer: appr. 6,940,600 litres(126,900 litres non-alcoholic) (100,000 spilled on floor)
• Wine: 79,624 liters
• Sparkling wine: 32,047 litres
• Coffee, tea: 222,725 litres
• Water, lemonade: 909,765 ½ litres
• Chicken: 521,872 units
• Pork sausages: 142,253 pairs
• Fish: 38,650 kg
• Pork knuckles: 58,446 units
• Oxen: 104 units,
• Expenditure of electricity: 2.8 million kWh (as much as 14% of Munich's daily need or as much as a four person family will need in 560 years)
• Expenditure of gas: about 205,000 m³ (?)
• Expenditure of water: about 90,000 m³ (As Much as 27 % of Munich's need )
• Waste: 678 t (2004) (TRY TO FIND A TRASHCAN)
• Toilets: about 980 seated, more than 878 meters of urinals and 17 for disabled persons
• Telephones: 83, also for international credit cards
• Lost property: about 4000 items, among them 260 pairs of glasses, 200 mobile phones, wedding rings, and even crutches.[12]

Garbage and toilets
Nearly 1,000 tons of garbage result annually from the Oktoberfest. The mountains of garbage created are hauled away and the ways cleanly washed down each morning. The cleaning is paid for in part by the city of Munich and in part by the sponsors.
After 2004 the queues for toilets became so long that the police had to regulate the entrance. To keep traffic moving through the restrooms, men headed for the toilets were directed to the "Pissoir" (giant enclosed grate) if they only needed to urinate. The number of toilets was increased in 2005 by 20%. Now approximately 1,800 toilets and urinals are available.
Many Oktoberfest guests visit the quiet stalls in order to use their cell phones. For this reason it was planned in the year 2005 to install a Faraday cage around the toilets or to use Mobile phone jammers to prevent telephoning with a mobile telephone. However jamming devices are not certified in Germany, and Faraday cages made of copper would be too expensive, so instead signs were placed warning toilet users not to use cell phones in the stalls

Fondest memory: Are you beginning to understand just how BIG Octoberfest has become? If not, go back and read the second part which discusses number of toilets, and how people used the toilets as a way to enable them to hear their cell phones through the noise.
This year, in 2010 I did not see even one trash can. There are tiny boxes on poles about the size of a kitchen wastebasket, but nothing that could handle the amount of trash generated daily.

There are plenty of security workers, and it is understood that if a person gets in a scuffle by accident they are still handcuffed and hauled off regardless of the story. Don't let this happen to you. Walk away from all altercations.
We saw people being taken in this manner, and we also saw stretchers that look like mummy bags where drunk people who are unconscious are taken to where ever they can sober up. If you want to see bunches of drunk people at one time, go to the hill of grass located by the big monument.

Favorite thing: Oktoberfest is a huge massive fair, the area is really big with wide space between the different brewerys's tent. Still, during the weekend you have to expect a big crowd. We were there during the opening weekend and, around the time of the opening ceremony, the amount of people trying to get in was just too much. It was impossible to walk and we were just pushed in any direction the crowd would go. This happened when the parade reached the fair. It was a little unconfortable and made us realize why when our bus arrived there at 7.30 am there was already a huge line of people waiting in front of each tent. They wanted to get a seat!
We didnt booked our seat ahead of time, it was way too expensive, so we ended up wondering around several tent with no luck. You have to be aware that they dont serve beer of food unless you have a seat, so we ended up leaving the fair and going to the nearest brewery in town.
When we went back to the fair in the afternoon the situation was much better.. i guess all the drunk people sleeping on the grass create some room in the tents :DDD
I still enjoyed my visit, it was a lot of fun just to watch the people around, take a look to my Munich album to see some interesting charachter!! we enjoyed our bavarian food and our beer, you just have to be aware what to expect and, if you are not confortable with crowd stay away during the most busy hour of the day.

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Favorite thing: Happens every year, and 2010 was the 200th anniversary of this event which i was fortunate enough to attend. In 12 massive tents, 6 million guests from around the world gather and consume 6 million litres of beer, eat 500,000 chicken, countless prezels and 100 oxen, then I have not even mentioned the famous schweinehaxen.
It is in honour of Ludwig von Bayern and his wife Therese's wedding and it takes place on the Thereseinwies. It usually takes place end of September as the weather is better then than around 12 October when the actual wedding took place.

Favorite thing: If you come here you have to goto Oktoberfest! It's not the only reason to go but It's the best one I Can think of.(BEER)

Fondest memory: [please insert your best memory of Munich or what you miss the most when you are away from Munich]
BEER!!!

Favorite thing: I went to Munich for the Oktoberfest. It was my only reason to visit and I did haave plenty of fun.
More Information of the Festival can be found at http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/ (i put the english version of the site because my German sucks at the moment, because i havent used it for a long while)

Fondest memory: The Oktoberfest. I know my intro says Munich is more than that and it is but come on, how could I not go? I went in 1987 during my first European trip and was in awe. Part agricultural fair-part drunken feast. Music, rides, traditional costume and most importantly, beer. How could anyone not like this? I arrived early in the morning on an overnight train and partied for a few hours then retreated to a grassy area to nap. One vivid memory I have is some man waking me up from my nap to ask me if I wanted a beer. Excuse me!! I was sleeping!!! Anyway, told him to get lost and went back to enjoying the festival. Later on in the evening, I hopped on an overnight train right out of there. No worries about accomodations that way...

Favorite thing: OKTOBERFEST
This popular festival (known also as the Wiesn) is said to be the biggest in the world. It takes place at the end of september-beginning of October. Some 6 million visitors drink about 5 million liters of beer and more than 200.000 pairs of pork sausages. Amazing but true, I was witness...
For more detailed info take a look at my travelogue

Favorite thing: Visit the Oktoberfest! The Munich Oktoberfest - known by the locals as the 'Wiesn' - is the biggest public festival in the world and will be held in 2001 for the 168th time. Each year, the Oktoberfest is attended by around 6 million visitors, who drink around 5 million liters of beer and consume over 200,000 pairs of pork sausages - mostly in the 'beer tents' put up by the traditional Munich breweries.

Please also see my travelogues!