Volksfest in Stuttgart

So it’s officially October here in Germany. And what does that mean? Oh yeah, Oktoberfest, of course!

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany is probably the most famous, but there are Bierfests all over the country. After consulting with some German friends, we learned that making the trip to Munich might not be worth it. It was purportedly quite the experience, but very touristy, there’s nowhere left to spend the night, and everything is really expensive.

Instead, everyone suggested that we make a point to go to the Cannstatter Volksfest – Stuttgart’s version of “Oktoberfest” and the second largest Bierfest in the world.  They told us that there weren’t very many tourists, and it was probably the most authentic experience we could have.

On Saturday we decided to take the train into Stuttgart do a little shopping and then meet up with some other people from our German course at the fairgrounds.

We ate lunch at a café that serves traditional schwabisch food, just to complete the experience. Unfortunately we had terrible service.  Because customers here are expected to tip much less, there isn’t as much pressure for “service with a smile.”

Eventually we made our way to the Cannstatter Wasen – the grounds where the Volksfest is held. It was huge! There were rides and tents and food and toys and games and anything else you could dream of!

Behind all the typical “carnival rides” they had giant beer tents that seat thousands of people. But these aren’t just like temporary cheap-o tents. These are like hardcore buildings they take up and down every year. And everything inside is done up to nines. It was surreal!

 

At first we had some difficulties meeting up with our friends from the course because it was so huge! We tried calling and texting but the German cell phone network kept crashing. That’s how many people there were at this Bierfest. The cell phones didn’t work. How crazy is that!?

Eventually we met up and sat with a bunch of German students. Because the Germans are pretty serious about their Bier consumption, they were pretty friendly.

We turned out to be one of the main attractions of the evening, with all the Germans taking turns teaching us all the traditional drinking songs. They showed us how to stand up and dance on the tables, as well as how to “properly” hold a Maß (1 Liter) of Bier.

The whole festival really reminded me of the smaller Galas or Fairs held in America around the Fourth of July. It was really an experience and I met some more German friends in the process!