Things NOT To Do At Germany's Oktoberfest!

October sees some of the biggest beer guzzlers and fan converge in Munich, Germany to take part in the fantastic free flowing beer festival that is Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is a wild, wild festival. Oktoberfest beers made in Munich are on tap, and they come with a good 2 percent higher alcohol content than the rest of the year. People dress up in the most fun attires that they’re supposed to wear. The beer is always free flowing and the food is lip-smackingly delicious. The halls are packed to capacity always, so getting there ahead of time can be a helpful tip for you to snag a seat easily and spend the rest of the day just chilling and downing beer after beer.

The festival is spread over 4 humongous tents which hosts over 2000 people each. Although the number may seem huge, they fill up in a matter of minutes. The 4 tents have tongue twisting name too – Hofbrauhaus, Augustiner, Hippodrome and Schottenhamel. The festival, though, is not entirely only about the beer. Outside these tents, there’s a pretty expansive carnival set up where people can go on rides with their children and have a bite at the many stalls on the sidewalks.

But like all festivals around the world, it goes without saying that a large influx of the people attending the festival happen to be tourists. So it is obvious that there are certain things you should NOT do when there.

We tell you some of the common things to NOT do at the Oktoberfest!

1. Hog empty seats at your table

People are very welcoming and open-hearted, keeping in mind the theme and the over all mood of the festival. If you approach someone who seems to have a space or two on their table, they’ll readily offer you the seat. But like always, you need to be generous enough and return the gesture to those in need. If you’re lucky and have a couple of extra seats, offer them to someone who hasn’t been so lucky. The pro is you get to make new friends!

2. Don’t be indifferent to the waiters

Once you get to the tents, in the event of the tent being packed to capacity, they’ll shut the doors and you then have to wait an excruciatingly long time to get in. So when you get the chance, talk to your servers and become friends with them. Always remember to tip them generously as they slog their butts off the whole day. Doing this also help gain some loyalty points and you can be assured about the fact that your beer is going to reach you ASAP!

3. Don’t lose your calm!

You need to remember that there’s a lot of beer inside of everyone when at the festival. And it goes without saying that everyone is going to be some level of drunk. Some more than the others. So, if someone happens to be a little disrespectful towards you, don’t lose your cool and throw a fit. It’s not a good idea to get into a fight with those huge glass steins all around. If there’s one person being a rowdy, there will be a 100 others who’ll help you have a jolly good time!

4. Don’t get too wasted too early!

If you’re a heavy drinker, you’re first impulse is going to be to drink as much as you can and get drunk. Take our word for it, that is NOT a good idea. One litre, which is the capacity of one stein at the festival, has 6.3% alcohol content which is enough to knock out even the heaviest of drinkers and result in multiple trips to the bathroom. And you obviously don’t want that to happen. So the wisest thing to do would be to pace out your drinks.

5. DO NOT bite into the cookies!

The colorful and really pretty Lebkuchenherz are a common shopping item in all the souvenir stores around and in the festival. The seemingly harmless cookies seem very tempting and you might want to take a good hearty bite out of it. But don’t be fooled! The cookies are, in fact, just pieces of souvenirs to be taken back home. If you’re hungry, try some of the really amazing real food inside the festival!

6. Don’t starve yourself

It’s pretty easy to forget about the necessary things your body needs when it’s piss drunk and barely alive. But just remember not to go on an empty stomach. First, that’s bad for your body and secondly, it’s a shame to miss out on the insanely meaty treats that are served up at the Oktoberfest! Sausages, Bratwurst, Weisswurst and many more things await you! So go ahead and fill up your stomach too.

7. Don’t get on the rides on a full stomach!

We don’t need to explain this. You’re on a stomach full of beer and food. You’re barely alive. Getting on the insane roller coaster or any ride that spins for that matter is a surefire ticket to destination: wrecked! So save those around you from a disgusting view and just go on the rides before you start drinking!

Oktoberfest is a festival that sees tons of booze, food, people and culture come together for the most epic throw down every year! Make sure you don’t do these things and you can assured you’ll be having a tipsy good time!

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