Oktoberfest is in its first week

If you don't know what to wear, or are just looking for places to buy your Dirndl or Lederhosen then this website might be just what you are looking for. http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=181950&st=0

Das ist ausgezeichnet! Look for me two weeks from today. I'll be the American with a beer in their hand! Prost!

Reg, You will need to be more specific. An American with a beer in his hand doesn't narrow it down much. :)

Ummm, Oktoberfest 2010 started Last Weekend at MY house ;-) [I have an early flight on Opening Day, so we had to work around it...ya gotta do whatcha gotta do] And I don't return home until a few days before the 'official' end, so we'll probably HAVE to stretch it out a bit...And yes, the house gets decorated all over (although Martha Stewart might not approve of the decor). Had to drive across town for the Bockwurst this year 8^( Need to restock the Hefe-Weisse (and the bockwurst - I think the cats must get into the food and beer at night...) The webcams are down now...bummer. (OK - not OUR webcams; the Theresienwiese webcams...) And Reg will be wearing a NASCAR cap and his money belt on the OUTSIDE of his shirt - that's how you'll know him ;-)

Jo, I have to say I was soooo tempted to get duded up in lederhosen after seeing all the locals at the opening day parade downtown. I was completely cured of the temptation, however, after arriving at Oktoberfest and seeing Asians dressed in their very expensive, newly purchased outfits (not that there's anything wrong with that), while speaking a German dialect I couldn't follow (I think it was Hong Kong German). :)

I'll be there the 19th and 20th. I'll be the redhead in the purple dirndl-avoiding arrest, I am sure. :)

Karen and Reg, when you two meet up (you'll be the two Americans with a beer) be sure and send us an email and photo...And Reg, you're pretty close to Rudy, Oakville, Ontario - he has an Oktoberfest mug that, ummm, needs to be 'repatriated'...could you swing by his house on your way out of the country? Thanks.

You can have it. Been there, done that. Too many kids running around all dead drunk.

Not if you make a point of going by 1:00 pm on one of their Family Days ;-)

My wife and I will be in the Munich area during Ocktoberfest, and will have to stop by a couple of the beer tents, probably on the 22nd or 23rd. I was last at Oktoberfest in 1970, so I'll be the old American guy holding a beer.

Crazy!!! That place is gonna be plum FULL of Americans at this rate! I know of two more 'Helpliners' that will be there, too...Crazy!!! Try to leave some beer for the others, mkay?

If you're there opening weekend, be sure not to miss the Oktoberfest parade on Sunday morning. It's an amazing spectacle. Wish we could be there!

"da-da da-da da-da da, da-da da-da da-da da, da-da da-da da-da da quack-quack-quack-quack".........my oh-so-sad version of "The Chicken Dance" (hangs head in semi-shame, knowing she did her very best...)

Eileen...no more beer for you tonight... :)

OK, Susan - I've started my beer-drinking fresh today ;-) {{actually, I'm not sure what my beer limit + counting out the 'da-da's would be...pretty low, I imagine!}}

Oktoberfest hater here... Serious, nothing against the majority who goes and only has fun, but I take pity, angry and resentment by how some (note: SOME) party-goers think everybody is in the same mood as them and don't understand life goes one in Munchen as usual. I was in a nearby town for business (serious, no drinks - was driving back/from everyday due to high hotel prices in Munchen itself) and remember some people not respecting the most basic civility rules, like using my legally parked car's top as a table to handle mugs, urinating in public, not respecting lines in subway and train stations and so on.

Andre, +1************and another reason we went on (boring) Family Day at 1:00 pm, drank our 2 litres at 2 different tents (easy to get into) and got the heck OUT!

That's partially why we scrapped our initial plans to go during Oktoberfest. After a bit of thought, it turned out that avoiding the high prices and obnoxious drunks would actually be a good thing. It's not like Munich runs out of bier after Oktoberfest, right?

Going to the Oktoberfest is at the very bottom of my list of things I would NOT like to do. It looks like torture and at a high price too, watching a bunch of people get disgustingly drunk. I have never met a German who has gone to Oktoberfest, except for those who live in Munich anyway. Germans outside of Munich will go to other fests in Germany, but not this one. We have watched many documentaries about Oktoberfest, the EMT's, the emergencies with people getting hurt, the drunks passed out everywhere, people falling onto train tracks, peeing where ever they like. Nein danke......Germany has 1000's of festivals each year, so just don't understand why people want to go to Oktoberfest, listen to bad German music, sway on a bench, and pay 4 times as much for a liter of beer that will be warm by the time you get to the bottom of it anyway.

Good, more seats for the rest of us that enjoy it!

But to be fair, people in Europe seem to pee in public places more freely. We have witnessed this in multiple occasions. One time in specific...Man, business suit, broad daylight, side of building on busy street. crazy. So it might elevate a bit on Oktoberfest - sure. As for the rest, in the two times I have gone...I have met only the nicest, politest, friendliest people. No violence, no drama...just good times by all. And I want to add - there are plenty of German people coming to partake. We have met and made friends with a number of people from Germany. I have no impression that they stay away based on my experiences. They are in there with the best of them. I get that this is not for everyone. I would never recommend it to someone who just isn't into that kind of thing. I just don't want others to get scared away with images of debauchery when I have yet to see that.

We've been to Oktoberfest twice, just for a night each time, on layovers to & from other destinations. Yes, we did see some drunken people. But we also saw an amazing spectacle, with all of the brightly lit carnival rides and the booths ... great food ... and then all those beer tents lined up ... it's really a memorable sight to see. And of course, the Oktoberfest parade on the first Sunday morning is worth the visit in itself.

My husband and I are leaving for Germany next week! we are mostly staying with some friends in Frankfurt area, but will head down to Munich for Oktoberfest for a day. We are hoping to get there around noon, spend the afternoon/early evening and probably go to another friend's place south of Munich before it gets crazy. I am from Oshkosh, WI where they have the EAA airventure (worlds largests) ppl come from all over the world...Ok so they don't come to drink. But still I can understand the frustrations with ppl from other countries not really getting everything. I hope to enjoy Oktoberfest, have a few beers, chicken, and a pretzel and just enjoy talking with other ppl. No plans on getting rude or anything, I want to respect the country!

OK, andrea, I trust you - I don't want to see you misbehaving on the evening news ;-)............Have a great time!

Well, I am VERY excited for my second trip to Munich for Oktoberfest. Yes, we get drunk. Yes, we dance on the benches to bad music. Yes, we get loud. No, we don't pee outside. It is great fun and a great excuse to meet friends every two years and have a little vacation in Europe. I shall be there. Also, my beer has never gotten warm because, well, I drink it before that can happen. Prost.

For anyone in the Rhine-Neckar area, the world's largest wine festival, the Bad Dürkheim Wurstmarkt (as the name implies, they also have sausage), is also about to kick off.

Tom, you taunt us 8^(.........Karen, noooooooo!!! (gasps) Say it ain't so!!! ;-) FWIW, I'm with you on the beer - mine doesn't get warm, either...but the bathroom lines - I'm considering adult diapers for next time ;-)

I fly out to Munich in 6 days!!!! 5th year in a row at Oktoberfest and then on to Spain. Going to watch the tapping of the keg online tonight at 3am (Pacific Time). Can't wait! Prost!

We will be going one day only, and my hubby is SOOOO excited! I'm not a beer drinker, but I'll survive. My German relatives, who will be joining us in Munich, are totally opposed to going themselves! And Eileen, hopefully you will have more decorations for next year!

The 2nd largest beer festival in the world, the Canstatter Wasen in Stuttgart, starts on Sep 24 and is until October 10. www.cannstatter-volksfest.de<br><br>And as mentioned above the world's largest wine fest is not in Italy or France but in Germany. Closes these days now though. www.duerkheimer-wurstmarkt.de