I agree.
I personally think the Oktoberfest -as it is now- has nothing to do with bavarian tradition anymore.
It has become a big "carnival-festival" for people from all over the world who want to get REALLY drunk and find their perfect excuse in "bavarian culture".
The Bavarian Tracht was never about "being sexy" or "getting compliments" as I read in this thread here...
Just go a few kilometers south into one of the the bavarian villages and watch bavarians in the streets on a normal Sunday.
I bet you wont find one girl with a
Dirndl like those (with huge insight) that you see on the Oktoberfest.
Bavarian culture is not about getting drunk like crazy and behave stupidly... sorry guy, dont wanna disappoint you.
The Oktoberfest is now a big tourist-moneymaking-machine. And the whole concept of "hey lets get drunk in the name of bavarian culture!" works perfectly fine for those making big bucks. If you want to support this - just go ahead!
I am bavarian and havent been there in many years. And lots of my friends dont go there anymore, either. Its become so expensive and nobody wants to see their children what is going on there... sad but true.
I too agreed with you, I am an American station in Germany, my wife(Bavarian)and my in-law too said it too expensive to go to Oktoberfest in Munich, so everyyear we goes to Schweinfurt for American/German Oktoberfest on post where is open to the public(no ID require to enter) . Some of my neighbor do dress in Tracht on Sunday, and believe me they didn't wear it to impress but it look really nice. My mother in-law gave my 4 years old son a Bavarian outfit for boy to wear. I was happy to see him wear that (he look cute in it ) I don't see anything wrong if an Auslander wearing Tracht as long as in a respectful way.
