Hi all,

I will be part of a group of 6/7 people (half British, half Austrian) at the Oktoberfest on Friday 26 & Saturday 27 September 2008. We really would like to try a couple of different tents and we are happy to queue to get in. Please could I have some tips? Such as which are the best tents to queue at, what time etc.

(I've read numerous blogs and the oktoberfest site itself but would find personal opinions very helpful).

Thanks,
westminstergirl

For a group of 8 people (i.e. almost a whole table) you'll want to be there by midday on the Friday and in time for breakfast on the Saturday. The tents open at 10am but you can start queuing earlier. They start serving at 11am I believe. Once you are in a tent and have a table, I would strongly advise against leaving – you're unlikely to get in anywhere else.

On the Saturday, forget going into other tents, that isn't going to happen. You'll have to get there real early, get into one and stay there. If the weather is nice, there might be a chance to swap tents before, say, 10am. If it's not nice, then get there at 8am and grab a seat as quick as you can.

On the Friday, you'll be able to try a number of tents until about 1pm, at which point it'll start to get hard to get in.

All the big tents are pretty similar. I wouldn't bother trying to visit them all.

why not just book a couple of tables and avoid all the agro of standing in line for hours, Whitney Events books them and is on here

@STB

The tents open at 9am, sometimes a little earlier depending, and beer is served straight away, except on the first Saturday.

Re: Whitney Events

Vested interest surely?

Don't you mean 'my girlfriend books them'.

@ Scogs + Kommentarlos, wmg and I have been in contact over the last few days, lovely person for sure.

Thanks for this. Any suggestions on which tents might be best to try for. I'd ideally prefer a medium-sized tent quite traditional tent but am aware beggars can't be choosers!

yes It is a side line Business for her, which she has been doing for 3 years, she advertises on here and has booked a quite a few tables for this years fest, which is a considerable amount of work, 1-3 hours most evenings each work day and has spent the last few years building relationships with the tents.

For a minute I thought you really were the first person to ask a board with a significant affiliation to Munich for Oktoberfest advice. But you're not! Amazing but true, I know it surprised me too, and you can find a whole world of questions, even yours, and answers here.

Nevertheless, you are still plugging away aren't you?

So nobody I know is allowed to draw attention to my business. All that networking for nowt.

Westminstergirl, you should drop a PM or mail to Whitney Events (dunno if it's been mentioned already), tell them what you're looking for and see what can be arranged.

I was just wondering how appropriate it was to recommend a service without noting any 'vested interests' in the business?

I second Keydeck's recommendation.

Well although Westminstergirl doesn't know, it's hardly a secret, if you click on the user profile that's Sarabryds face smiling back at you! She's fairly well known on here.

And unfortunately she wasn't able to help! I assume I'm just going to have to get there early and hope I queue at tents which let people in on the day.

Yeah, I remember reading it was all booked up a long time ago.

Just get to a tent by 9 a.m. and pace yourself.

Unfortunately that seems like the only option

Do you know which tents are likely to have spaces for people who queue?

Why the unhappy face? Drinking beer at 9am is the start of the perfect day...

It's not so much queuing - it's being at the right door at the right time. You might wait out the front all day and never get it. You might wait around the side for 10 minutes and be lucky and get in. Unfortunately, it's not like in England where if you wait patiently and in a nice ordered line you'll eventually get served.

The fact is, you have to give up your idea of trying different tents on a weekend. It's really no big deal, they are all the same basically. Getting there early and getting a good seat is far more important. You'll be able to stick your head in to a few tents on the Friday morning, and then really drink at two tents on the Friday afternoon and the Saturday.

I went with 7 French female nurses on a Saturday night (all tents full), the nurses got their boobs at a back door in front of the security guard, we were in the tent within seconds and security chucked out a table of guys to make room for us
1 guy 7 young french nurses on the piss...bliss

Forget Oktoberfest... can anyone help me get a reservation with Scogs and co.?

It was 6 nurses and 1 stewardess.[/pedant]

Has anyone been to Oktoberfest on the last Sunday? Any tips?

What are the chances of getting a table in one tent for the whole day if we get there early??

Been there done that, more than once, may the force be with you.

I'll be arriving in Munich on the 19th and would like to see Oktoberfest on the 20th, and we're out of there on the 21st. So really I only have one day to see what I can. It's just me and my wife, so no reservations. But, I can get there at 4am if i have too.

Should I just get there as early as possible and attempt to get into a tent and ignore everything else to see? Or just give up on the idea of a tent and just walk around and enjoy the outside? If i can't get in a tent, or seating of a tent outside, is there still a way to drink beer?

Do the walk-around bit, take some of the more nausea-inducing rides and end up at one of the beer carousels along the rides street or go into one of the café tents. You won't get a Maß there but you can savour the atmosphere.

Or go to a tent first, have a few Maß, and then when you've had enough head outside and look around the site.

Like Small Town Boy says. Make sure you get to the tents before 8am.

Our hotel is walking distance, apparently a 5 minute walk. Getting there at 8am isn't a problem.

In fact, is it possible to stroll around the area on the 19th to plan my course?

My expectations of getting a seat in a tent are extremely low, but I want to make sure I maximize my trip there. The internet is my only source of information, I don't know anyone who's been to Germany