Beer drinkers are forever indebted to a chap called Prince Ludwig I who in 1810 decided to celebrate his happy nuptials by throwing a bit of a party for the residents of Munich. The festivities lasted five days and ended with a horse race. There were no beer halls.

Things have changed a bit since then — there is no horse race and the fair is largely about the beer halls. However, some traditions remain and navigating so much sauerkraut, so many people and (well, let’s face it) so much beer, can be a little daunting.

This year’s Oktoberfest begins on the September 16 and ends on October 3. Hmmm...something is not quite right here. Ah yes... Septemberfest? Well, as it turns out, the weather is just so much nicer in September so the powers that be decided to shift it back a little.

Getting there
General consensus is that if you plan on staying in Munich you’ll need to book your accommodation at least a year in advance and because prices are likely to be a little inflated, it is probably a better idea to stay in the surrounding area and take a trip into Munich for the day.

The fair takes place in an area called Theresienwiese (named after Ludwig’s sweetheart) and getting there is easy, as long as you’re not in a car. There are always major traffic jams and if you do eventually get there there’s bound to be nowhere to park. So if you’re driving, rather park at one of the many ‘Park-and-Ride’ car parks and use public transport to get to the fair. The public transport is very efficient and as long as you avoid ‘Theresienwiese’ station, which is always very crowded, you shouldn’t spend much time waiting in queues.

'O’zapft is!' — 'It’s tapped!'
If you want to catch the ‘traditional’ stuff, you’ll need to be there at the beginning of the festival. The mayor of Munich officially opens the festival by tapping the first cask of beer — which, if done incorrectly, results in gallons of beer spraying everywhere — and declaring ‘O’zapft is!’ This always takes place in the Schottenhamel tent, which is the largest tent at the festival (it seats over 10 000 people) and the other tents are only allowed to start serving beer once this ritual has taken place.

On the first Wiesn Sunday (September 19 in 2006) you can watch the Costume and Riflemen’s Parade when more than 8000 people – mostly Bavarian – dress up in traditional clothing and walk from Maximilian Street through the centre of Munich.

Beer hall etiquette
Negotiating a tent full of thousands of jolly Germans is by no means an easy task. In fact, getting into the tent at all can be tricky. Here are a few tips for successful Oktoberfest inebriation:

• Either reserve a seat in one of the beer halls or get there really early so that they aren’t all taken.
• Don’t leave your seat unless you can get someone to watch it for you, otherwise you’ll lose it.
• Don’t steal the beer mugs! The police do random checks and if caught you will be fined €50. You can buy them as souvenirs, but remember to keep the receipt.
• Pace yourself. The beer comes in one litre mugs and can do some damage if drunk too quickly.
• It’s not compulsory, but it’s a good idea to tip the waitresses.
• This year the beer will cost between €6.95 and €7.50 per litre, and remember that beer and food vouchers are only available in the beer tents.

The Braurosl tent is famous for having its own yodeller and after a couple beers you’ll join in the singing of traditional Bavarian songs with gusto.

Brass bands are part and parcel of the Oktoberfest experience, but there is only so much culture you can endure in one day. Hacker Festzelt offers a respite from the tuba with a ‘rock ‘n roll’ band (Cagey Strings Rock ‘n Roll Band and Kirchdorfer Musi) every evening after 5.30pm.

If you’re all beer-ed out, you can visit Weinzelt. Yes, as the name suggests, this tent is all about wine. It serves more than fifteen wines as well as sekt (sparkling wine) and champagne.

And then there’s the food – good hearty German fare. Schutzen Festhalle is famous for its suckling pig which is prepared in the traditional Bavarian way in a malt beer sauce. Ochsenbraterei serves an incredible variety of oxen specialties and Fischer Vroni is every seafood-lover’s dream, with fish in all shapes and sizes.

Most of the tents open at 10am and close at 11:30pm, but if you feel like partying a little longer, Kafer Wiesn-Schonke and Weinzelt are open until 1am, with a last call at 12.15am.

So, if you make it to the fair, find your way into a tent and manage to order a beer in between your bouts of yodelling, drink a toast to the legacy of Ludwig.

For more info...
• Visit the official Oktoberfest website.
• Read more on the festival on Wikipedia.