I’m an American who went to Oktoberfest for the first time. Here are 5 things that surprised me most about the German festival.

• As an American who went to Oktoberfest for the first time, I encountered lots of surprises.
• Chugging beer and standing on tables will get you kicked out, but dancing on the benches is OK.
• I was surprised to find there was a full carnival outside the tents.

As a beer aficionado, I’ve been to my fair share of brew festivals throughout the US, several of which were “Oktoberfest” themed.

So, when I booked a trip to visit Oktoberfest in Munich a few years ago, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, after just a few steps into the roughly 100-acre festival, I realized just how special it really is.

Oktoberfest was first held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Louis I (the crown prince of Bavaria) and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, and is now celebrated every year in September and October.

Today, people from around the world travel to the festival to celebrate German culture and, of course, beer. In fact, last year’s festival approximately 6.5 million people.

Here are the five things that surprised me most when I attended Oktoberfest for the first time.

The locals wear vests with their lederhosen, not suspenders

Nearly everyone at Oktoberfest dresses the part — wearing traditional Bavarian lederhosen outfits for men and dirndls for women.

My husband was sporting the lederhosen we’d always seen with leather suspenders. However, we quickly noticed that many of the men were wearing vests with their leather shorts instead.

A friendly German local later told us that while suspenders are fine to wear, they tend to signal that you’re not local.

The tents are actually temporary wooden structures

When I hear the word “tent,” I tend to think of the big tops at the circus. However, the ones I saw at Oktoberfest put those to shame.

In reality, the huge tents at the festival are temporary wooden structures, some of which have two floors.

In total, there are 17 “large” tents and 21 “small” ones throughout the festival, each with its own unique theme. Each tent also serves the beer of the affiliated brewery.

Chugging and standing on tables will get you kicked out

There’s a misconception that chugging is a common thing at Oktoberfest. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Locals warned us early on that chugging is a surefire way to get kicked out of a tent. And before long, we saw a bachelor party escorted out for this very reason.

Another no-no is standing on the tables. It’s common — and encouraged — however, to stand on the benches to sing along to fan favorites like”99 Luftballons,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”

But getting atop the tables is a step too far and will get festivalgoers kicked out.

People were snorting a mysterious white powder

When our tablemate poured some white powder onto the table at 1 p.m., I have to admit, I was a little shocked by his boldness.

But then, he explained that it was Wiesn Koks (aka Oktoberfest cocaine), a drugless, totally legal substance.

Festivalgoers snort the powder, which is a combination of glucose and menthol, to wake up between steins.

There’s a full carnival outside the tents

“Family friendly” and “beer fest” aren’t usually words you hear together. But for Oktoberfest, it’s true. Children under 6 are allowed inside the beer tents before 8 p.m., and some venues even offer special kid-friendly food menus.

Outside the tents, we found an entire carnival, including roller coasters, games, and the famous Devil’s Wheel, where a small group tries to stay on a rotating platform for as long as possible.

However, I recommend hitting the rides earlier in the day. Even if you’ve been pacing yourself, you never know how the glassy-eyed guy across the Tilt-A-Whirl will fare.

Overall, while I knew Oktoberfest was going to be fun, I was blown away by its sheer scale and the friendliness of everyone we met.

Although I’m hanging up my dirndl for now, it might be coming back out sooner rather than later.

This story was originally published on September 30, 2024, and most recently updated on September 21, 2026.