September 2004
Oktoberfest Essentials
It’s back! From Saturday, September 18, to October 3 the 171st Oktoberfest will be held, drawing crowds from around the world. More than 6 million visitors are expected to come and consume an estimated 61,000 hectoliters of beer, with a
Mass costing a minimum of 20 cents more this year. Yes, the prices are increasing again with beer costing between € 6.65 and € 7.10 (up from € 6.30 to € 6.80 last year). Even non-alcoholic drinks have been affected. Though the prices may be hard to swallow, a good way to hold on to your cash is with the Wies’n-Card. Available in denominations of € 30, € 40 and € 50, cards can be purchased from the Munich Tourist Offices at the Hauptbahnhof and Marienplatz and used as a debit card at many locations at the Oktoberfest, except in the beer tents. Card holders will receive discounts and a € 200 gift certificate booklet. Another financial alternative is employment. For those interested in an experience to write home about (note the 61,000 hectoliters of beer mentioned above), a job in the beer tents may still be available. Contact the employment office at (089) 53 09 80 12 or 13. For those who would rather do the drinking, opening hours for beer service are weekdays 10 am–10:30 pm; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 9 am–10:30 pm. Tents close daily at 11:30 pm, except the Käfer Wies’n-Schänke and the Weinzelt, which remain open until 1 am. Carnival rides run Mon.–Thurs. 10 am–11:30 pm; Fri.–Sat. 10 am–12 am; Sunday and holidays 10 am–11:30 pm. Family days, which offer discounts on rides and certain purchases, are on Tuesdays, September 21 and 28, 12 pm–6 pm. Historical tours of the Wies’n in English start from a stand near the Theresienwiese U-Bahn stop, with one hour costing € 17. GPH Veranstaltungsagentur GmbH offers special morning tours for those with disabilities and can be contacted at (089) 232 39 00. Additional Oktoberfest highlights include the Parade of Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries (Saturday, September 18, at 10:45), the Official Tapping of the Keg (Saturday, September 18, at noon in the Schottenhamel tent), the Costume and Marksmen’s Parade (Sunday, September 19, at 10 am), and the open-air bigband concert with more than 400 musicians (Sunday, September 26, at 11 am in front of the Bavaria statue). It is worth bearing in mind that if you’ve misplaced an item, a good place to check is the lost and found (Wies'nfundbüro) to the left of the Bavaria statue between 11 am and 6 pm, or if you are no longer in Munich call (089) 23 33 02 98. During the Oktoberfest subway trains and buses in Munich run more frequently than usual. Alternatives to the usually crowded Theresienwiese stop are listed below. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights all MVV subway lines will be running every 10 minutes until 2 am and until 1 am on weeknights. The S-Bahn train network (S1–S8) also offers weekend night services. The S-Bahn trains run between Pasing and Ostbahnhof via the Hauptbahnhof and Marienplatz every two to five minutes. For more information in English about this world-famous event, visit
www.oktoberfest.de and
www.muenchen-tourist.de. <<< SA
Getting there:
S-Bahn: S1–S8 to Hackerbrücke, S7 and S27 to Heimeranplatz, further with the U4 or U5
U-Bahn: U3 or U6 to Goetheplatz and Poccistrasse, U4 or U5 to Theresienwiese or Schwanthaler Höhe
Buses: 31(to Hans-Fischer-Strasse or Poccistrasse), 58 (to Goetheplatz),
62 (to Alter Messeplatz or Theresienhöhe) or 66 (to Alter Messeplatz, Theresienhöhe or Hans-Fischer-Strasse)
Trams: 18 (to Hermann-Lingg-Strasse) or 19 (to Hermann- Lingg-Strasse)
