Willkommen to Oktoberfest 2018! Everyone’s favourite German holiday is being celebrated in the traditional Bavarian way at Oktoberfest. From 22 September to 28 October 2018, Munich Brauhaus, The Bavarian, and Bavarian Beerhaus welcome everyone to experience an unforgettable time. The Plus Ones were delighted to don a dirndl and get a sneak peek of what Munich Brauhaus is offering to make this year’s Oktoberfest the best yet.
You don’t have to have any German heritage to enjoy the Bavarian offerings throughout Oktoberfest. It’s all about sharing good beer, great food, and lots of traditional fun. The lineup at Munich Brauhaus is jam-packed throughout the six weeks.
The opening weekend party at Munich Brauhaus on Saturday 22 September involves a ceremonial keg-tapping of the first Oktoberfest beer keg — just like you’ll see in Munich itself. Plus, they have five official ‘biers’ direct from the Bavarian heartland: Paulaner, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Staten, and Hacker-Pschorr to choose from.
Opening day on the 22nd of September has a Sausage-Eating competition at 2pm (which incidentally, my friend took her Tinder date to last year — talk about a memorable first date!). 4pm has a Dogs of Oktoberfest competition, 5pm a stein-holding comp, and at 7pm there’s a Best-Dressed Oktoberfest competition. All with $250 bar tabs to win! Watch the live oompah bands, on-stage yodelling and traditional Bavarian Schuhplattler (slap dancing), then enjoy the official afterparty from 9pm. The same sorts of things happen all over again on Sunday 23rd. Fun fact: I’ve been reliably informed that the beer hall tents at the ‘real’ Oktoberfest close around 8pm. This is one time it’s better to be in Australia than Munich.
The Plus Ones got to experience a preview of what the Oktoberfest festivities will include. On a Friday night, the beer hall at Munich Brauhaus was packed with revellers. Dirndl- and lederhosen-clad servers led us to our long table, where we got to choose between stiens (or half-steins) of different, delicious German beers. Our Munich Lion-Sized Appetiser Share Platter came out, replete with dips and ‘haus-made’ pickles, cheese, pastrami, and the like. And of course, what would a visit to a German bier hall be like without pretzels!
The star of the show was the tasting platter ‘All You Would Think of Bavaria on a Plate’. This was an absolute show-stopper, and got so many comments when I shared it on my Instagram Stories. Smoked sausages, hotlink. Crackling pork belly. Crunchy schnitzel. Creamy mashed potatoes. Bowls of sauerkraut, both regular and red. And a huge pork knuckle presiding over all. We dove in and didn’t come up for air except to quaff more German beer from our steins. (Lest you think Oktoberfest is only for carnivores, rest assured there are plenty of offerings on the menu for vegetarians as well.)
During Oktoberfest, you can order the Best of Oktoberfest experience package ($80pp) for groups of two or more. It comes with the
Munich Brewer’s platter, a shot of schnapps, a haus-made pretzel — plus a branded stein to keep, which will be filled with
Oktoberfest bier.
During our evening, we were treated to live music from the oompah band, and got to take part in a traditional nailing competition. That’s right – hammering nails into a plank of wood, all for fun, glory, and a prize. The Germans certainly know how to keep people entertained. There’s nothing better than great food, even better beer, and celebrating traditional Bavarian culture.
Head to Munich Brauhaus, The Bavarian and Bavarian Beerhaus for an terrific Teutonic time.
– Theresa
Co-founder of The Plus Ones, Theresa loves any excuse to wear her authentic German dirndl. Follow her on Instagram.
Sydney’s best Oktoberfest 2018 celebration runs from 22 September to 28 October 2018. Visit www.thebavarians.com/oktoberfest for more.
