Favourite Oktoberfest tents

Schottenhammel has the most hot women in Dirndls. I do like that, but maybe that's just me.

Here's a few pics from previous years mayhem: one, two, three

So which tents are the favourites of other people?

Must say I'm a fan of the Hacker. I think the best beer is to be had in the Augustiner, but the atmosphere isn't as good in there.

Schottenhammel would be my first pick too, and lucky I have two nights of party invites in there

Why would it be different this year?

Augustiner and Löwenbräu make 2nd and 3rd place; at both tents I've seen the band encouraging young ladies to come onstage, and "cool off" - not too hard on the eyes.

Hofbräu would top the worst tent to go to. Sloppy, belligerent tourists...

Hi Randy,

Only different for me because for the first time I'm not living properly in Munich since I started going to Oktoberfest and also because I'm not making a beeline straight for Schottenhammel on day one.

Oktoberfest. I love it! It is great atmosphere and heaps of fun.

i mostly go there two or three times with friends and once with the company. (This year we gonna be in Käfer's! with the company)

Hofbräu tent is known as the fighting tent (many Aussies and Kiwis are there apparently, but thats only what is said, all in one it is the most english speaking tent)
Löwenbräu is known as the 60er Fan (Soccer team 1860-Die Löwen)
Augustiner is more for the older ppl
Käfer is for the gourmets and very rich ppl
I love the Schottenhammel and the HP Bräurosl (Bräurosl is a tiny bit smaller and more traditional, they play a lot of bavarian songs only locals know)

Schottenhammel tent is the best...bar none. If you can find a table, which could take 34 years. That's all I can write right now...It's Friday and I gotta work.

I agree on the Schottenhammel, for me its 2nd best after the "Pig Pen" (standing area) in the Hofbräu tent. But I only like that to catch up with the other kiwis. Schottenhammel is the best for talking to cute local girls in their dirndls.. The square tables there work better for conversation too.

being over five foot in hieght i find the small tables in Schottenhamel really uncomfortable. but it is a tent often frquented by locals and has a less tourist atmosphere. if you want real one to one conversation go to the nymphemburger wein zelt, where if you've had enough of helles you can neck a few weissbiers. käfer is a laugh too and somehow less riotous as hippodrome. as for getting seats, well that can be a bloody nightmare, epecialy when it's poor weather and you're unable to sit outside.

i always get asked which one is the best, and in my opinion it is hard to tell.
I prefer the Bräurosl as there is always a good party and it still very traditional, unlike the Hofbräu... but thats just my opinion.
Of course there is also Winzerer Fähndl and Armbrustschützenenzelt, but that was too much for the poll.

Pity there isn't a "I don't care which tent as long as they serve me and I don't get into a fight" option.

Schottenhammel wins by a country mile
youngest average age and is easily the best

roast chicken tastes good there too but who gives a f**k about that

Lifted from Oktoberfest.de - Schottenhamel:

I agree...Schottenhamel is by far the best tent.

Lifted from Oktoberfest.de - Braeurosl:

Schottenhamel is pretty good, but Hofbräu JUST beats it, due to it having the Pig Pen and me being able to find lots of other Kiwis there. Schottenhammel is a VERY close 2nd though.. Actually from the 2nd week onwards, once all the kiwis have run out of steam, Schottenhammel is the best.

I like Hacker, because it's pretty... what a girl!

Lifted from Oktoberfest.de - Fischer Vroni

Got my Braurösl tickets yesterday!
Lots of gorgeous little bonus things if you buy a package!

Hi
I go in Hippodrom for lunchtimes as I like that it is very traditional, Fischer Vroni for the same reason, Hacker with my work and I like the rock music and Käfer if I'm not paying ha ha.
I never go into Hofbräu (I wouldn't drink in the normal HB so why go in the tent?), Paulaner (shed with no atmosphere), Schottenhamel (drunken kiddies)...well, it is horses for courses really, everyone can find something they like as there is enough choice.
I like having a reserved spot, not queueing, not getting hassled and something more traditional so that's how I like it, I only really go one big evening per week and can organise places for the times I want to go which is quite nifty. Other people might not enjoy that method but that's ok because the two camps go to different tents
Katrina

Ochsenbraterei - because I met my boyfriend there - 5 years ago. I was living in Boston at the the time. He is German and was living in South Carolina at the time. I was on a trip with 3 girlfriends and he was on his first visit home to Munich after moving to the States. We met for maybe 10 minutes, swapped email addresses and promised to keep in touch Three months later, I received an email wishing me a Happy New Year. A month later, I invited him to Boston to check it out for a long weekend. A year later, I moved to South Carolina and 4 months after that(Aug 2001), I moved to Munich with him.

So, my favorite tent has to be Ochsenbraterei.

which is the gay one???

that would be the best one...
apart from the fact that i heard you cant use the toilets ALONE!!!

[QUOTE]you cant use the toilets ALONE[QUOTE]
Do you need help when using the toilet?
I dont think there is a gay tent, is there?

Apparently the Bräurosl tent, opposite Schottenhammel, is the place to go on the first Sunday of the Wiesn for the gay scene.

Schottenhammel is apparently full of Schicki-Micki Preiß'n pretending to be Bavarians in their lederhosen.

My (Müncherin) wife's and my favourite is usually Fischer-Vroni, as it is mainly full of young Munich people. It also seems to have quite a gay scene occasionally, which adds to the atmosphere.

i don't think there is a "gay tent", but the braurosl on the first sunday is pretty much gay. i think the "scene" wanders around a few different tents on different nights.

generally i end up in the hofbrau tent. i know i know, but the good thing is you have much more chance of getting in if you get there late. i like the atmos in the hacker tent (bayerischenhimmel, the one that's like a village square. good music and good pints. augustiner tent is all very good but its not easy to find a spot, and i don't rate the atmos, yes i know its the best beer etc. etc. but it seems to suffer because of that with huge crowds of people savouring their lovely augustiner instead of just necking it and dancing on the benches.

last couple of years we've been with the office to various other tents during the week, you really have to wait till 9pm for the whole thing to really kick in, but the last 2 hours is always great fun pretty much whereever you are.

Hippodrom:
It has a "no dancing on the benches until 20.00"! rule. I saw someone being removed from the tent just for that, they didn't seem too far gone but it was only twenty to eight. Supposedly you can't even dance on the benches if you aren't in the middle area!

Hacker:
Hacker Pschorr are the only brewery still brewing the traditional Oktoberfest Maertzen beer. Brewed in March and then "lagered" till the Fest. I must say that it does taste the best to me of all the beers although the bottled version tasted even better than from the Fest - slightly sweeter. Also beloved of the "rockier" music types supposedly.

Kaefer:
Great to have a wander around and get a half of Weissbier but . . . I asked for a lunchtime reservation to go with the old folks this year. What I got was the offer of a table between 2 and 4.30 PM but you had to pay for Eur. 50 food EACH to get the table. This didn't include anything on drinkies - the old folks aren't going!

Augustiner:
Not the best beer of the Fest. Lots of old people with Bavarian hats - very traditional and not a lot of eye candy here.

Fischer Vroni:
Smells of fish. 'Nuff said?

Schottenhammel:
A slightly different take on it to most of the reviews I've heard . . . Tables are square so there's a chance of hearing more people on your own table. Vents in the roof to allow smoke out - Great except when the weather isn't good the people are cold and the party doesn't seem to get going. Maybe later on and of course when the weather is good but I've left it to go to more partying (& warmer) tents a couple of times.

All the rest:
Pretty much of a muchness to my mind. I'll let anybody buy me a beer in any one of the tents though!

Well, as OFest draws to a close. I finally put in my vote. This year I was at the Hofbräuhaus tent. Actually not as wild as I´d imagined (course I was there on a Tuesday afternoon in the upper rafters...but still, best I´ve seen so far was at Hacker Pschorr). Really though, what a win win situation, the choice is between good and "gooder". I love Munich!

Well, i have to now vote for the Hippodrome on a Saturday night. My god that place kicked ass. Best food, best decor, super fast service, sweets while you're in line waiting for the loo, best band. They had different people come up and sing songs to groove to and not just all the umpa stuff. Summer of 69, I Will Survive, Keep on Rollin, New York, New York etcetc. And who suddenly took to the stand last night and belted out If Tomorrow Never Comes? Mr Ronan Keating! I stood there and was like, oh, he looks like Ronan Keating. And oh, this is Ronan Keatings song. And OH MY GOD!!!It's the man himself. The girls went wild when they realised. The band is raised and to the right so everyone sees it and hears the music. And the music just went on and no with hardly any intervals. Evreone on the balcony was standing on their tables too just going wild. Absolutely fantastic night there. I've been to many Ofest tents on many nights but that was the creme de la creme.

ps a big thanks to marie for getting those bands sorted out!

Here is a website of the smaller tents. ALso the coffee tents and sausage/ Hendl tents. Unfortunately only in German.

Forget it. Hacker Zelt. Fertig.

If you are under 40 and want to 1. eat good chicken, 2. drink excellent beer, 3. hear great music, Hacker is the place. The band tends to favour AC DC over John Denver - need I say more?

In my oktoberfest experience Hacker Pschorr is the best. My least fav is HB--it gets pretty filthy the last couple of days. Last time I went to Bräurosl it had plenty of gays. I dont remember if they had some gay special that day cuz I was already too drunk.

Somebody get me out of here. I am missing Munich already

Ochsenbraterei, no doubt in my mind

There is no gay tent as such. But there are 2 gay meeting days. The first sunday in Braueroesl and the 2nd monday in Fischer-Vroni. For the Fischer-Vroni day, as it is on a monday, many people who go either leave work early or just take the whole day off. I know people who tried to go last year after they finished work and couldn't get in because it was full.

In addition to those two tents that I mention above, I went to Schottenhammel last year and had a great time (high concentration of cute boys in lederhosen ) I also like the food in Ochsenbraterei and actually have a table reserved there this year. Best tent for celebrity citings is the Hippodrom. Small but fun atmosphere. Basically all the beer tents have a slightly different atmosphere and something to offer

Schottenhammel is my favorite...its the tent we spent all our time in last year...good fun!

you missed my fav one out
the Ammer, a bit smaller but good nosh/beer and the band plays more of the traditional stuff also you have a bit more room to move in it

I have to reorder my list:

Rainy Day Top 5

1. Fischer Vroni
2. Hacker
3. Augustiner
4. Schottenhamel
5. Schützenfestzelt

Sunny Day Top 5

1. A table outside somewhere
2. A table outside somewhere
3. A table outside somewhere
4. A table outside somewhere
5. A table outside somewhere

@Scogs, don't mention Ammer, keep sending 'em to Hacker and The Scottish Ram

Did anyone else experience getting half crushed in the Schottenhammel tent last year? I went on the saturday of the middle weekend and found it pretty scary. I was venturing off to the toilets which weren't too far away, when the doors to outside just burst open and a tide of people flooded in and I had no choice but to travel in the same direction. Successfully made it to a different set of toilets where there were about 10 police controlling the queue. On the way out (of the toilets), people were just shoving against the police and I was getting pushed 3 steps back to every one I made forward, and it was really hard to stay on my feet. I finally got spat out into the open and was pretty shaken up. The main aisles were pretty packed all the time, and at one stage, security decided to block one of them off by forming a human chain across it. No one at the back had any idea what was happening and people just kept pushing and pushing against the line so that the people at the front were getting really crushed. Also this meant that people used the narrow aisles between the tables as a right of way, and our poor waitress got her hand burnt as she was knocked and got her hand squished against a hot chicken she was carrying.
Anyway, I'm planning another attempt this year (but not the middle weekend), and wondered if the crush, and tons of police is the norm, or if it just went wrong on that day. It seemed to me that security didn't manage to stop people coming in when it was already full. Any reassurance would be great!

On the middle weekend, there's bone crushin' crowds in each and every tent, Schottenhammel isn't exceptional. The open seas are far better for space, but sometimes ye crave a big glass of beer rather than the regular ration of grog.

Still true but Scottenhamel is giving Hacker a run for the traditional money this year. Saturday, Super. Sunday, Great. Monday, Marvellous.

Hacker still has a better band and chicken... but the chicken is great everywhere, oder?

I've only been once last year and went in the Armbrustschützen - The Paulaner one.

It seemed great, but where should I try this year?

I'll always go at least once to the Schottenhammel. That's my favourite.

Hofbräu tent, standing section in the middle. Otherwise known as the pig pen.
Schottenhammel is my 2nd fav.

Hacker was really the my fav!
why, heck if i know!

My favorite tent is here.

Here´s a bit of negative advice: Don´t go to Löwenbräu, it tastes like shit and gives you a headache!

there were a few ladies in the hacker tent that i wouldnt mind taking into one of those tents with me PES

So which one has the best beer? Or are you allowed to bring your own?

I think you'll find that all the tents are good fun if you have a seat and are with a good group of people. Most people have their favourites but that often depends on your previous experiences.