Post #608874 by Doctor Z on Mon, Oct 3, 2011 1:10 PM

Sabu & I go to many times every year (I've been 3 times already this year!) and things change a lot from one Oktober to the next. Yes, it's in a big, massive tent now, and (literally) thousands of people are there each night, but it's still a LOT of fun! The beer is good (esp. the Paulaner) and so is the food; the new 'host' HEINO is hysterical, they play all the fun oom-pah-pah songs & sing-alongs ("Alice? Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?" being my fave), have all the contests (although they've dropped the beer-drinking contest again for this year :( ),parades & silly dances and everyone is encouraged to come in costume. (What kind of costume is up to you. I always wear a cuddly raccoon-head hat, while Sabu dons his best pharaohnic headdress.) New changes for this year: 1).They've upped the admission to $20.00 and made special VIP packages available. You can buy tickets online ahead of time (which does save time. Sometimes), but if it says 'sold out', don't worry, they always sell 'em at the door. 2). No glass containers! Ceramic steins appear to be OK still, but if you have one of those big glass boots, they won't let you in with it. 3). They've changed the orientation of the stage. In years past, the stage has always been at the north end of the tent and folks entered from the south - now it's at the west and you enter from the east. No big deal if you've never been, but kinda disorienting to us veterans. 4). the O-fest itself shuts down around 12:30, but revelers are encouraged to go over to the Alpine Inn to continue for another hour. No admission price for the AI. (Oh, and security is good, fair and swift in meting out justice!)

Helpful hints:
**get there EARLY if you want a table - they go fast and all the ones in the front are 'reserved' for folks who buy the VIP packages.
**wear comfy shoes - you'll probably be on your feet a lot.
**bring cash. They have ATMs there if you run out, but it's a cash-only affair.
**park at the K-Mart. Even if you get ther early. Cops looooove to hang out by the Alpine exits, but seem to avoid the K-Mart like the plague.
**have a few drinks beforehand, if possible. $11.00 a beer (32 oz.) can get a mite costly if you're 'starting from scratch'.

Hope to see some of mah peeps there this weekend!

Vee lof OktoberFIST!