First Saturday of the Oktoberfest

So, I have some friends coming this year and was thinking about going on the first day with them. I haven't done this before, so what is the procedure? As far as I know, the main tent is the Schottenhamel and is where it all kicks off. How easy is it to get a non-reserved seat in there on the day? If I show up at 8am, should that be ok?

What about first beers? I hear that doesn't happen until about midday. When do you reckon it's likely that I'll get my first beer? What happens before 9am up until midday when it kicks off? Can you bring some food in?

Any other advice for the first day would be great.

Thanks

Advice from an amateur here but we have done it both ways:

1) 2005 - we went to Wiesn just before noon to see the parade etc. - this is a nice option because I enjoyed the whole festivities but we were meeting up with peeps in Fischer-Vroni and we only just got in at noon because we basically begged and said our friends were inside (which they were) but there were really no seats for us - that was just luck because all the other tents had huge queues - most stuff is already filled up by this point

2) Last year we went to Fischer-Vroni at about 9:30 a.m. and walked in without incident - but it picked up shortly after that and seats filled up - there were no seats left at noon when the beer was poured nor were they just letting people in. It can be fun with a good group of people - bring food to nibble, card games, etc. but you miss all the outside stuff and you are sitting for a long time.

So I think it depends on the people you are taking and what they like better, tradition or beer hehe.

In answer to some of the questions, no beer before noon, you can bring food in, most of the parade stuff is outside so you don't see much 'fest' by sitting in the tent (not sure about Schottenhamel though).

The one thing they did in Fischer-Vroni was have a countdown to the beer which was kind of fun.

My advice:

Do not try to get into the Schottenhamel on the first day without a reservation. Since it's the place where Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude taps the first barrel (O'zapft is!), a lot of dignitaries take up space.

I will be lining up for the Schützenfestzelt bright and early at 8am.

Forgot to add this:

Yes, it is not possible to get a Maß before 12pm. In fact, since the first Maß is poured at 12pm, you probably won't get yours until between 12.15 and 12.30, depending on the wait staff. In general, most tents do not allow you to bring your own alcohol, but bringing your own food is ok. To get around the alcohol problem, I usually bring some champagne cleverly disguised in an Apfelschorle container.

Hmm.. if I can't get in the Schottenhamel, then maybe I won't bother on this day.. anyone had any first hand experience with the Schottenhamel on this day?

IIRC we were in the Schottenhammel on the first day last year (for some reason my memory of this event is a little cloudy). It was probably a bit harder to get into than some of the other tents but not impossible.

I think we got there around 7:30

any bets on how many hits for Ude this year...will he do it in one?

Most likely, I will have friends visiting from out of town that weekend as well. I'm all about the first Sunday. I think that's when I'll do my all-day event.

Normally I do the first Sunday as well.. it's a good day, but I thought I might try something different this year.. but let's see what happens..

I think I'm going to the Wiesn every day this year. I'm so excited.

You may have to change your user name afterwards!

Lucky!!! I have never gotten a place in the Schottenhamel on the first day!! (Granted, I haven't tried in three or fours years...)

OOH! Just remembered this little tactic that my friends and I use on the first day:

You should have at least 10 people all looking for a table in the same tent, and all placed at different entrances. All doors don't open at the exact same time, and you improve your chances of getting a good table by covering as many entrances with as many people as possible.

Definitely a good tip about having friends waiting at each door. It really pisses me off how they open the doors at random intervals. You get there at 8am and stand by the main doors, only to end up getting in after a load of lucky bastards who have turned up on the spur of the moment and happened to be near a side door.

nope, we got into the Paulaner, and it was full around 9, and you cannot bring your own food into that one... but they did have softies and water to buy and food on special at 10.