Oktoberfest (Munich)

Well, this is the big one, the largest festival in the world. Despite the name, Oktoberfest actually begins in September, and lasts for three weekends. We made it down for the opening day ceremonies, and were standing at the door of the Hofbräu Haus tent when the Mayor or Munich and the festival royalty paraded in to tap the first keg and officially start Oktoberfest. This doesn't happen until almost noon, so all morning the tents are packed with people dying for a beer and then boom - the floodgates open. So how does this work? Every Munich brewery puts up a huge tent and serves its seasonal beer specifically brewed for Oktoberfest. The catch is that you can't order a beer unless you're seated at a table, and as you will see in the pictures below, that isn't always so easy. Worst case scenario, get someone seated at a table to order for you, it's Oktoberfest - we're all friends!

As far as the tents go, the Hofbräu tent is the largest and craziest, and definitely the hardest to find a seat in. The atmosphere inside is something you have to see to believe. The other tents are just as much fun, so it all comes down to where you can find a seat at. I highly recommend getting a whole roasted chicken (very normal in Bavaria) and washing it down with a mug of Augistiner. Then throw in a pretzel and head for the roller coasters, whoo hoo!