Oktoberfest trends 2014

Now that we’re heading into the home stretch of this year’s Wiesn, it’s become clear what will be remembered in terms of specifically 2014 Oktoberfest trends. So here’s our round up of what has been particularly noticeable thus far.

And, obviously, since we’re all about the dirndls and lederhosen on this blog, we’re going to start with fashion!

Flowers in her hair

Okay, this one really came out of left field: we didn’t spot it at the spring Strong Beer Festival and kind of always assumed that weaving flowers into your hair was something Swedish people did at midsummer. Well, this year, Bavarian chicks are doing it for the Oktoberfest – more specifically, for the Oiden Wiesn section, which is a paying-entry-only section of the festival with a stronger focus on tradition than on drinking.

Denim dirndls and Oktoberfest scarves

These have been, as predicted, very very big indeed – especially due to the cold and rainy start to the first week of Wiesn. Which, incidentally, also meant that we saw lots of the new woollen knitwear, too.

Outfits with accents

We thought there was something different this year, and talking to people who live in Munich, we think we’ve worked out what it is: lots of people are still wearing traditional gear, but not necessarily the classic dirndl and lederhosn outfits. Rather, we’re seeing a lot of quotes in otherwise relatively non-Bavarian outfits: say a pair of jeans and leather shoes, but worn with a classic checked or white linen shirt and a Bavarian jacket (both guys and girls). There’s also a lot of dresses with dirndl elements, but that don’t quite go the whole hog, or lederhosen that look more comfy, more worn-in.

Our friends in Munich think that, because people here are really getting into regional costume, they’re spending more on each piece and so are getting more understandably reluctant to wear such high-end gear to what is, essentially, one almighty booze up with lots of fatty foods and dangerous looking fairground rides. Guess that figures!

The two things we heard very often were: “cheap and cheerful is so over” and “we’ve reached peak dirndl”.

We’ve also noticed a few other developments at this year’s Wiesn, so here are the more general Oktoberfest trends we have to share.

Snuff

Yes, snuff. Yes, the stuff people used to put up their noses in Georgian Britain. Yes, it’s alive, well, living in Munich, and utterly foul! (In use due to smoking bans in tents and the difficulty involved in nipping out for a sly fag)

Security

In recent years, the security people have been getting harsher and harsher, taking a “chuck out, ask questions later” approach to door policy. It wasn’t pleasant to see happen, and so it’s encouraging to note that the Wiesn organisers have told their guys to take their foot off the accelerator – and put name badges on them to curb any desire they might have not to take that request seriously.

Slow down

The newfound good cheer of the security people might also be to do with the more relaxed atmosphere generally this year. The organisers reported a slight year-on-year fall at the half-way point, and we’ve certainly got the impression that things have slowed down: thus far, we’ve been able to pretty much walk into any tent during the week – even in the evenings – and sometimes even get a seat. Also, there’s always that Oide Wiesn to take the pressure off the main tents, too.

So all in all, 2014 has been great up until now and we’re really looking forward to this last weekend!