For years, I greeted the opening on Munich’s Oktoberfest with a shrug and an “ehhhh,” smug as I was in the belief that the famous festival is more about drinking than it is beer, and that it was thus an event I could safely miss.
Then I went.
Oh, how that single, solitary three day visit changed my view. I was wrong. Oktoberfest is not about drinking, it’s about culture, Bavarian culture, to be exact. And while beer drinking does obviously play a large role in the festival – hey! it’s an important part of Bavarian culture – so also do everything from socializing to ferris wheel riding to political posturing to international relations. In short, it is a truly great event that should be experienced by everyone at least once, regardless of whether you drink beer or not.
And so, with the kick-off of this year’s edition last Friday, I’m longing to be in Munich now that Oktoberfest is here, even as I pack my bags for Denver and the sold-out GABF.