Conquering Oktoberfest

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Deana Heitzman
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  As I stood on top of the table I claimed for my friends, my eyes were fixated on the thousands of people rushing between a two-door entrance into one of the largest tents at the world's largest public fair, Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

The history of Oktoberfest followed after Prince Ludwig of Bavaria hosted a horse race that gathered more than 400,000 guests in an area called Theresienwiese, which was shortened to "Wies'n" by the locals. Today, there are no horse races, but it draws more than six million guests and is held for 16 days leading to the first Sunday in October.

During our six-hour ride to Munich, I listened to veteran goers sharing stories and must-see sights to first-timers. Not only have I never been to Oktoberfest, I have never been to Germany, so my excitement was uncontainable.  

When we arrived to the fairgrounds just before dawn, I could see crowds of people waiting outside the tents for the doors to open at 9 a.m. In all, Oktoberfest offers more than 30 tents, but my group was committed to visiting the Hofbräu-Festzelt, which can hold more than 7,000 people inside.

While waiting in line, I encountered people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen, traditional German attire, and people from more than ten countries. It didn't matter what they wore or where people were from; when the doors opened, we all rushed in with the same objective--to get a seat.

As I sat with my group of friends, my eyes followed women as they astoundingly held eight glasses known as beer steins. I noticed another woman with a crate of huge pretzels, known as Bavarian Brezeln, and other bread items around her neck. Thousands of people wait for these women to approach their table to buy liter steins and pretzels to indulge in the Oktoberfest festivities.

We stayed in the tents for most of the morning and when we left the tent around noon, the line to get in exceeded hundreds of people and was forcefully guarded by bodyguards to ensure no one got in without permission.  

The afternoon approached and food was the first thing on our minds, so we ventured outside the tent to find all the German food vendors to include roasted chicken, grilled duck, Schweinebraten and Knödel. The aroma of traditional Würstl and sauerkraut filled my nose and I was instantly lured to it.

As we continued our journey down the streets of Oktoberfest, the walkways filled with food vendors turned into carnival rides. The sea of people guided us to a crowd being entertained by a fair ride called "The Toboggan," which has been at Oktoberfest for 80 years. Riders are bolted midway by a conveyer belt and then proceed to climb more than 70 stairs to slide down a wooden slide.

Outside the fairgrounds, we walked 30 minutes to the Munich city center, where visitors can wander and find additional tourists attractions of German history.

As our day came to a close for me and my group of friends around 7 p.m., the roar of Oktoberfest was still filling the air behind us. Leaving with a sense of pride, I conquered the adventure Oktoberfest had to offer and this is one party I won't stop talking about until I relive it next September.