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Originally Posted by VictoryJuice
Howdy Folks, any of you ever been to Oktoberfest?
Looking at heading to Europe late sept/early October and just wanted to know if its worth checking out.
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I've been twice.
The draw is obviously the beer. The cultural experience is really good too. Most people there are quite friendly. Although there is also an element of backlash to how "touristy" the event has become that's also mixed with anti immigrant sentiment. Combine that with Germans being very blunt, and you will meet some extremely rude people.
That being said, the positive people far outweigh the negative.
I probably wouldn't recommend going if you're not into heavy drinking or you can't function after a day of heavy drinking.
. Many of the buildings have an industrial cold war vibe. The city has all the things that big European cities have to do, museums, old churches, castles, etc.. The BMW factory is also there.
However, if your plan is not to dive into the beer drinking, I'd recommend going to Munich at a different time, or going to Berlin instead.
As for comparisons to the stampede? It's much more about the drinking. However it doesn't have the lawlessness that the Nashville North tent has. Germans love customs and rules. Also be prepared for the "German stare". Germans will stare directly at you. This gets now pronounced as people drink more.
I'd definitely recommend buying lederhosen if you plan to go the tents. The Germans will appreciate the effort.