Posted by trachten in Oktoberfest | Comments Off on Oktoberfest parties in Germany
Oktoberfest parties in Germany
So we all know that the one and only real Oktoberfest is the one in Munich: but not everyone can make it to Munich, so we’ve already offered you tips on where to celebrate the Oktoberfest in the UK and across the world. What if you can get to Germany, though, but just to the Munich Oktoberfest?
Well, the good news is that not all Germans who want to Oktoberfest feiern, as its called, can make it to Munich either, so there are plenty of Oktoberfest parties and other German beer festivals elsewhere that will offer you the opportunity to drink, eat, be merry, and wear your lederhosen and dirndls.
They’ve been celebrating the Oktoberfest in Hannover for almost fifty years now, making it Germany’s second largest after Munich. Just like the original Munich Oktoberfest, it has a variety of beer tents, fairground rides, and even a church service! And just like the Munich original, the Hannover Oktoberfest is on for two weeks with three weekends in late September and early Oktober.
Munich’s greatest footballing rival has also decided to try and steal its thunder when it comes to partying! A comparative newcomer, Dortmund has been staging an Oktoberfest for three years now, but offers all of the accoutrements of the real Wiesn, with a fairground, a large beer tent, and plenty of Schlager music and brass bands. It’s only on for ten days, though, so be careful not to turn up in Dortmund in lederhosen in the wrong week…
The Canstatter Wasen, held near Stuttgart, is often thought of as the ugly sister to the Oktoberfest. In fact, it is a traditional celebration in its own right that has been going for 168 years! It starts one week after the Oktoberfest and goes for a full sixteen days, ending one week afterwards. Just like the Munich Oktoberfest, traditional costume – “Tracht” – is popular, and the name “Wasen” is the southwestern German variant of Munich’s word “Wiesn”, which means meadow and is applied to the field on which the beer tents are set up.
