Friday, October 08, 2010

Oktoberfest in Stuttgart

The October Festival in Munich is world-famous.

What is less famous is the other October Festival in Stuttgart. We have basically the same stuff as in Munich but on a much smaller scale. And honestly, the October Festival in Munich probably earns the big bucks from all those tourists who flock down to the city and stay in their hotels at grossly-inflated prices.

A. wanted to pop by Munich for one day but upon finding out that the hotels are probably either fully-booked or ridiculously expensive, she opted for the Stuttgart version.

My opinion? The October Festival is one huge German carnival. One can try the many amusement rides, people watch or simply enjoy the party atmosphere where people have fun and let their hair down. I took one incredibly scary ride but it turned out beyond fun in the end!!!

However, if you're intending to go to the one in Munich, its not worth the visit if you're not much of a beer drinker. If you are, be my guest. I suppose its worth a visit to check out what the hype is all about, but the sky-high prices is simply something worth contending about. This year, more than in previous years, we saw many people decked out in the traditional Bavarian costumes of Dirndl and leather pants. They don't come cheap but some Dirndls really look great!
The famous beer "tents" that can house hundreds of guests
At night the entire fair ground is transformed into a festival of lights 
 Look at the massive crowds? 
More roller coasters 
Another beer tent. One would have to make a reservation in these tents months in advance. One litre of beer costs about 9€ and half a roasted chicken (typical food at the October Festival) costs another 9€. 
Looks a lot like Disneyland eh? Love the display of stuffed toys 
 
More prizes to be won
The fair ground during the day
 The other side of Oktoberfest that you don't see. Massive traffic jams everywhere! We took the subway there but were still not spared the "joy" of fighting for a space in the trains on the way home. Ok, so its not that bad, but when we were there until 11pm over the weekend, there was a general sense of aggressiveness in the atmosphere as fuses were short and tempers flared due to the alcohol intake of the party revellers.

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails