I arrived at the festival and headed to the Hofbrau tent, which my friends and I were told is the best tent. I waited on line for a couple hours among people with many different accents; German, French, Spanish, even people from Texas. People from all over the world go to Oktoberfest. I could feel the excitement building as people pressed forward hoping the tent would open any minute. When the doors opened, the massive crowd stampeded past security guards to get a table inside. My friends and I rushed to a table and sat down. As more tables filled, waitresses carrying trays filled with eight steins each began circling the tables and delivering beer. Steins are the big glass cups that hold the beer.
The waitresses were dressed in their traditional outfit called a dirndl with their hair in braids. Men were wearing lederhosens, which consists of overalls and a hat. These outfits are traditional to the festival and even people who were not German were wearing them. After the first rounds of beer are delivered, waitresses start coming around to sell sausage and soft pretzels. Several people began standing up on their table and chugging beer from the stein as everyone in the tent chanted. I overheard Germans around us yelling "Prost" which means "Cheers" before they drank their beer. A band was playing German music and everyone in the tent sang all the words. By the end of the first day, we knew the words too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2-aSbcW0s
In the afternoon, security guards began screaming in German that we needed to leave the tables because the tables had been reserved for the rest of the day. The German language sounded so angry and mean that people could have been saying "I love you" and I would have never known. We entered the rest of Oktoberfest. There were rides everywhere. I used the words to describe it as an "adult carnival". I went on a roller coaster that went upside down seven times and swings that went so high we could see all of Munich. The age at the festival ranged from little children to senior citizens. These people were Germans who do not go to Oktoberfest for the "drinking festival" that it has the reputation to be. There is a completely different side to the festival outside of the tents. They go to enjoy their culture. They hear the music, dance, eat and wear their traditional outfits. It is a family function and tradition to attend.
It is important for people attending Oktoberfest to see the entire festival. After talking to my other friends that went different weekends, I was happy that I got to see what the festival was like inside and outside the tents.
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