Heading down to Munich for a minor sibling reunion on a national holiday wasn’t the smartest idea in hindsight, but the travel delays didn’t ruin the rest of the weekend. Although a general rule of Oktoberfest is arrive extremely early to get a decent table, we strolled in after a leisurely breakfast wearing dirndls in pretty much the same shades as the ones we had a a child – one of us was always decked out in pink and the other in blue!

Of course having arrived later, once mingling among the crowds wandering between the stalls and tents we noticed they all had signs saying they were now closed due to the number of people crammed inside. Cue having to huddle in a small group outside the beer tent of our choice waiting for at least an hour for those inside to leave. After some banter with security we managed to grab spaces on a bench outside. Beer, pretzels and some time later we snuck inside into the Schottenhammel tent to get out of the cold. And stepped into a sauna thanks to the masses inside. When we finally left our ears were ringing with the off-key singing of everyone yelling along with the band and we reeked of beer and meat thanks to the impressive waiters carting around kilos worth of traditional Bavarian food on tray slabs and stacks of beer jugs.

Wandering around outside again with handfuls of (very expensive) burnt almonds the various decorations of the tents was something to really see. While I enjoyed the experience, I think I’m a fan of smaller festivals. I’d go again but with a larger group having booked a table (well in advance).