Fans recount their Oktoberfest stories

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest?

Ha, I never went to Oktoberfest while I was living in Germany. I am a born and bred Berliner. That explains it I guess. However, I've been to numerous Oktoberfests in New Zealand. They are put on each year by the New Zealand German Business Association in Auckland and they rock, I mean ooompah! So much fun - this year's is on this Friday. -- Anja

Yes! And it was very memorable. I went in Munich for the 2000 Oktoberfest! We arrived very early and picked a tent and it was packed! We squeezed in with a table and started drinking, and soon everyone was talking, dancing and singing and they locked the doors. Later, some star guests arrived; some soccer players and a man with a dog, and the crowd went wild. I still have the little woven heart trinket I bought. -- Laura

Yes. When I was a student of Goethe Institut Hong Kong, I attended the Oktoberfest party at the open car park of the Marco Polo Hotel. The Marco Polo Oktoberfest is now very famous in Hong Kong. It's all about German food, beer, dancing and a Swiss band. But after all the years, it is still unchanged. I'll attend too this year, and see if the Swiss band will still sing the same songs and play the same games. But no change could be nice, because it's a good atmosphere and memories every time. -- Paskol

Yeah, I went with my colleagues when I lived in Germany last year. We spent a long time walking around as there were no places to sit but it was a great atmosphere. In the end we learned that it's better to book in advance so we sat at Odeonsplatz instead and had some beers. -- Hannah

When I was stationed as a soldier in Offenbach/Main in 1958, I made friends with a young German and we decided at the last minute to go to the Oktoberfest on his motorcycle. Once there we hunted and hunted for a place to spend the night but everything was booked. We ended up sleeping on big oil cans at a gas station. Had a great time though. -- Bill

Yes. I was there last year with five friends in the second weekend. It was wonderful and the weather was very good. We don't remember the number of beer mugs we drank, but we had a good time. I suppose we will remember that weekend until our last minute in this world. -- Francisco

Horrible experience. Everybody was drunk and the whole thing was pretty boring ... I prefer Cologne's carnival. Everyone's drunk there as well, but at least it's fun: they sing and dress up. -- Maria-Lujan

Last year I was at the Oktoberfest together with other students studying German at the Goethe Institut in Schwaebisch Hall. A camera crew from the Deutsche Welle team filmed us while we experienced the Oktoberfest for the first time. It was such a fun and amazing experience! I ended up going back to the Wiesn four more times that year and each time I met interesting and fun people. One of the things I liked best about the Oktoberfest is how easy it is to meet people sitting near you and to strike up a conversation with them. I also especially enjoyed standing on the benches, drinking lots of beer, and singing crazy German songs! -- Benjamin

Compiled by Stuart Tiffen
Editor: Susan Houlton