What your dirndl is telling the world

Soon after acquiring my dirndl, I was taught the rules for tying the apron. The strings are long, and usually you wrap them all the way around your waist and then tie them in a bow in the front. But not just anywhere in the front. No, no, no, this is important stuff, so listen up. If you tie the bow on the left, it means you’re available; on the right it means you’re taken. Beyond that the rules get a little hazy, depending on who you’re talking to. I’ve heard that a bow tied in the center means either you’re “open” or that you’re a virgin. But given that we’re in very Catholic Bavaria, being a virgin and being available should practically mean the same thing, right? (Snicker, snicker.) A bow in the back means you’re a widow, or possibly a waitress.

This whole apron-tying nonsense seems a little too middle school to be taken seriously. But, if tying my apron on the right means fewer sloppy drunk boys will try to hit on me at Oktoberfest, then by all means I’m following the rule. Which reminds me, it’s about time to tie on that apron and head out for our opening-day tent reservation. O’zapft is!

How do you tie your dirndl apron?

Tags: dirndls, Munich, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest clothing, tracht

Ask the expat: Oktoberfest duds and tent tips

I’m searching for an outfit for Oktoberfest this coming September, and I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. Should I even dress up? I don’t want to offend anyone. If it is cool to wear an outfit, where do you recommend I get one? Is it stupid for me to get one of those cheap Halloween ones? All my friends are going to dress up; I wanted to at least attempt to get an outfit, but legit lederhosen cost more than I want to spend. Any help would be appreciated. Also, can you recommend any tents or easier ways to get into tents?

-Brian C.

Oktoberfest without dressing up is like a Halloween party without a costume: it’s still a lot of fun, but the right outfit can make it even better. I’d say at least half of Oktoberfest attendees show up in tracht (dirdls or lederhosen) these days, locals and foreigners alike. I’d definitely encourage you to dress up if you can find a way to do it without cutting into your beer budget (and Oktoberfest beer ain’t cheap). So what are your options?

1. Spring for real lederhosen, which will probably run you over €100 (more with shirt and socks). That’s definitely a lot to spend if you’re only planning to attend Oktoberfest once, but on the other hand, you’ll have a kick-ass Halloween costume for the rest of your life. You could try your luck on ebay, or pick some up in Munich. There are tracht shops all over the city center (including about a million branches of Wies’n Tracht und Mehr, which at the very least keeps me entertained with its ad campaigns).
2. Go for fake lederhosen, such as those made of plastic or the Bruno variety. I really, really don’t recommend this route. Look at the guys in the second photo down on this post. You don’t want to look like that.
3. Skip the lederhosen all together and go for a different look. Get a hat or an authentic checked tracht shirt for around €20 and wear it with jeans. Or a lederhosen t-shirt – cheesy, yes, but still much, much better than actual fake lederhosen.
4. Wear a kilt. They have nothing to do with Oktoberfest, but our Scottish friends think it’s a great idea.

Women have it easier: an Oktoberfest-ready dirndl (such as these) can be picked up on ebay for $50 or less (but please stay away from the mini-dress catastrophes on Amazon), and they look just fine. There are also some good deals to be found these days in the many tracht stores along Tal, in the center of Munich.

As for which tents I recommend, it depends on what you’re looking for. All the big tents have more in common than they do differences – big beers, long benches, cheesy music, buxom waitresses – but they all have slightly different personalities. I suggest showing up early on a weekday (when you can still wander into all of the tents) and checking out several of them.  The Hacker tent, Ochsenbraterei, and Schützen Festzelt are all solid choices. The Hofbräu tent has a frat party vibe, and seems to have the highest foreigners-to-Germans ratio. The Weinzelt has wine and fancy food; the Käfer tent has really fancy food and low ceilings. The Hippodrom is where the celebrities hang out, perhaps because they are attracted to colorful streamers.

As far as getting into tents, my main advice is this: go early, and find yourself an unreserved table to park at for the day. On weekends you have to arrive when the tents open if you want a chance of getting a table for the day (although sometimes the tents open back up in the late evening). On weekdays you can usually walk in and out of tents freely until late afternoon, when they all fill up. Since this year is the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest, it will probably be more crowded than in years past. You also might want to check out my advice for first-time Oktoberfest visitors.

Hey readers: anyone have any great tips on where to get decent-looking lederhosen on the cheap? Please share!

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Ask the Expat is an occasional feature here at This non-American Life. If you have a question for me, go to this post to find out how to submit it.

Tags: ask the expat, dirndls, lederhosen, Munich, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest clothing, Oktoberfest tents, tracht

The home stretch

This Oktoberfest business is seriously exhausting! I’ve spent 6 of the past 11 days at the Wies’n, and I’m planning to go at least one more time. I’m going to need a vacation once this is all over.

The other night we had dinner at the Käfer tent, one of the smaller tents at the Wies’n. Käfer is a well-known gourmet shop and restaurant in Munich, and the fare at their Oktoberfest tent is similarly pricey and delicious. Despite the fancy-schmanciness of the tent, the evening still involved plenty of giant steins of beer and dancing on the benches to ridiculous live music.

Apparently my bedirndled friends and I were looking particularly adorable all sitting in a row, because strangers kept coming by and taking our pictures. It was kind of like being extremely minor celebrities.

What else? My least favorite day was last Saturday, the most crowded day of “Italian weekend”. Normally I would have never attempted to go on the busiest day of Oktoberfest, but we had friends in town just for the weekend and gosh darn it I was determined to get them into a tent. We woke up ridiculously early and were standing in line waiting outside the Löwenbräu* tent at 8:30 AM. The doors finally opened at 8:45 (after the lion let out a big roar), and we scrambled to find a spot for our group. We were downing our first liter of beer before 9:30. Breakfast of champions. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more different than that at the Käfer tent. The crowds were insane. I headed home rather early, but not before our fancy Maβ-holding contest.

It’s not like I’ve been drinking non-stop this whole time… I’ve also gone on a couple rides here and there. There are three roller coasters and a dozen or so other rides interspersed between the stands selling sausages and gingerbread hearts on strings. Who decided that big, stomach-churning rides would go well with giant steins of beer?

Overall I’m enjoying Oktoberfest more than I expected to. I mean, not the puke in random doorways all over the city, or the roving bands of drunken tourists, but the rest of it has proven to be pretty darn fun. Who would have thought?

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* I know what you’re thinking, but here in Germany Löwenbräu is not the same cheap crappy beer that it is in the US. I have no idea why that is.

Tags: Bavaria, beer, Germany, Käfer, Löwenbräu, Munich, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest clothing, Oktoberfest tents

In anticipation of Oktoberfest

Ah, our first Oktoberfest as residents of Munich is just around the corner. You can tell it’s the season due to all the stores trying to get you to buy tracht (traditional Bavarian clothing, ie dirndls and lederhosen) these days. It’s in all the shop windows.

My one previous trip to Oktoberfest was about 10 years ago. I don’t remember it too vividly (despite not having a drop to drink there). I came to Munich from where I was living in eastern Germany to meet up with my parents, who planned their vacation specifically to coincide with Oktoberfest. I remember going on some rides (and wondering who came up with the brilliant idea to combine rides with excessive drinking) and walking through the stalls selling gingerbread hearts, chocolate-covered fruit, and hats shaped like beer steins. We poked our heads into a beer tent, which was packed full of people enjoying a big oompa band. My dad was dying to find a place to sit down and have a beer, but was sadly overruled by me (dislike of crowds) and my mom (who was beginning to come down with a stomach virus).

Our guest room (and the fold-out couch) is going to get a lot of use in the coming weeks, and we are thrilled to see all the friends who are coming to visit. That said, I’m a little apprehensive about the Oktoberfest schedule that I’ve got laid out before me: between going with visitors and with local friends, I’m planning to spend at least 5 days in beer tents alone. Don’t get me wrong – I do love drinking with friends. And I can’t wait to have an excuse to wear my dirndl. What I don’t love is crowds, smokey hot crowded tents, waiting in lines to get into smokey hot crowded tents, and big masses of hot sweaty people. It remains to be seen whether I will love Oktoberfest or hate it. Either way, I’ll be sure to blog all about it.

For those looking for Oktoberfest information, here’s a handy downloadable map of the Wies’n which shows where the various tents are located (for those of you lucky enough to have reservations at tents). The official Oktoberfest site is here. You can also find general schedule information here. The opening parade is Saturday morning, and then o’zapft is!

Tags: Germany, Munich, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest clothing

Turning Bavarian

I am happy to announce that I am now the proud owner of my very own dirndl. I love it more than I ever thought I could love traditional clothing, Bavarian or otherwise. It fits surprisingly well, and I adore the colors. (Even before I bought it I was told that I have a very good Dirndl-Figur… I’ll give you one guess as to what that really means.)

A dirndl is a traditional Bavarian dress, worn with an apron, and is basically the female counterpart to lederhosen. Dirndls and lederhosen aren’t exactly everyday wear here in Bavaria anymore, unless you happen to be waiting tables at the Hofbräuhaus. But they’re still quite popular, especially at beer festivals and other occasions. Like this thing they call the Oktoberfest… perhaps you’ve heard of it?

Dirndls come in all colors and fabrics, and can range in price from around 100 euros to several thousand, depending on your dedication to the cause. On the low end, stores such as C&A; sell cheap versions of dirndl, or I hear there are some great deals to be found on Ebay. I wanted something a bit nicer, but didn’t want to invest too much, so we headed out to the Loden Frey outlet near the Olympia Einkaufzentrum to do a little Tracht shopping. I ended up spending less than I expected to, so I’m doubly happy with the outcome.

Now, if only I could find a reason to wear my dirndl before Oktoberfest…

Tags: Bavaria, German culture, Oktoberfest clothing, tracht