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    <link href="https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest?sAtom=1" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" />
    <author>
        <name>Alpenclassics.co.uk</name>
    </author>
    <title>Blog/Atom feed</title>
    <id>https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest?sRss=1</id>
    <updated>2026-05-01T16:04:52+02:00</updated>
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Wiesn 2017: Alpenclassics hits the Oktoberfest</title>
            <id>https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/wiesn-2017-alpenclassics-hits-the-oktoberfest</id>
            <link href="https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/wiesn-2017-alpenclassics-hits-the-oktoberfest"/>
            <summary type="html">
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                                            Another year, another trip to Munich, to the home of dirndl, lederhosen, and (of course) beer! Read about our time there here - and perhaps get a few tips for your visit!
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                 It&#039;s the work trip that everyone wants to take part in. After all, people who sell dirndls and lederhosen for a living like nothing than getting dresed up for a traditional Bavarian festival - and the Munich Oktoberfest is quite simply the defining event of its kind. So we went to the 184th edition and (who&#039;d have thought it?) had just as much fun as we always do. 
   
 Tradition has it that the first one to spot the sign has to shout, and as soon as it hoved into view, we all started shouting with excitement as the streams of exquisitely clothed Bavarains went past us on their way to their customary tents. Around us, too, many of the tourists had made a special effort, with lederhosen and dirndl dresses in the very clear majority - many of them really rather authentic, even if the wearers were speaking English! 
 Our first stop was the Ocshenbraterei tent, famous for its roast oxen and redesigned this year to be larger and more comfortable. We couldn&#039;t miss it, though, as the front had retained the key design principles (a revolving model spitroast ox). And the actual meat was as tasty as ever! 
    
 With our bellies lined and one beer in, we went for our customary walk around the fairground. We&#039;re big fans of traditional rides like the &quot;Krinoline&quot;, a topsy-turvy merry-go-round named after the floaty, wire-framed skirts of yesteryear accompanied by a brass band, and always take the opportunity to try our hand at crossbow archery (&quot;Armbrustschiessen&quot;). 
    
 Later that day, we were meeting some friends in another tent - and one which also has something to do with crossbows (the name is &quot;The Crossbowmen&#039;s Tent&quot;), even if we didn&#039;t shoot here. We did, however, experience the highly traditional cracking of the whips, &quot;Goasslschnalzen&quot; (if by &quot;experience&quot;, you mean almost lost eyes too). And of course, here too, we enjoyed some hearty cuisine and a few beers... 
    
 Which mean that some of us felt in the mood to go home, while other decided to stay on. And so we went our separate ways, with of our party spotting that other traditional figure, a Scotsman playing bagpipes, as others kept on enjoying the Oktoberfest way into the evening... If you&#039;re going, we hope you have a great time and are happy to do what we can when it comes to getting you  dressed up appropriately . 
    &amp;nbsp; 
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            </content>

                            <updated>2017-09-29T11:15:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Our very own glossary for the Oktoberfest</title>
            <id>https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/our-very-own-glossary-for-the-oktoberfest</id>
            <link href="https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/our-very-own-glossary-for-the-oktoberfest"/>
            <summary type="html">
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                                            When you’re heading to the Munich Oktoberfest, forget what you think you know about German – because it could well be wrong: it&#039;s time to start learning Bavarian!
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                 When you’re heading to the Munich Oktoberfest, forget what you think you know about German – because it could well be wrong! “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”, as the saying goes, and so anyone who, for example, thinks that the dialect word for the Oktoberfest Wiesn is the plural form of eine Wiese and says “Die Wiesn sind…” will look sillier than if they had tried to say something in English. 
   
 Didn’t follow that? Great! Because that means you don’t know enough about German to even make that kind of mistake and can just memorise the following essential Oktoberfest words and phrases. If you know the odd bit of German, then have a look at these and compare notes with our German-language glossary aimed at native speakers looking to improve their understanding of the vagaries of Bavarian dialect. 
 Whatever you do, though, remember to relax and go with the flow. Lots of Bavarians pride themselves on their excellent English and will probably, once you’ve shown your interest with a couple of learned phrases, be very impressed with anything else you manage to remember. 
  A Mass, biddeschee!   The single most important phrase ever: “A tankard of beer, please!” (Vary with  Hendl  for chicken und  Brezel  for a pretzel.) 
  D’Wiesn ist ganz wunderbar heuer, gell?  An authentic ice-breaker: “Isn’t the Oktoberfest fantastic this year?” 
  I mog di  To be used if your flirting gambit (see below) leads to a deeper exchange of views and ideas in the course of the evening. 
   
  I muss amoi bieseln  That’s what you say after you’ve ordered a few litres and need to excuse yourself for obvious reasons. 
  Mei, fesch schaust aus, Madl/Bua!   An opener in the flirt stakes: “My, don’t you look fetching, my girl/my lad!”. ( Fesches Gwand!  or  Fesche Lederhose!  are exclamations in praise of dirndls or lederhosen) 
  Seids aus Minga?  Test the lie of the land by asking “Are you guys from Munich?” 
  Sapralott, des war a Schmarrn!  This is a useful exclamation if you need to forcefully express extreme disappointment at something - e.g. the ratio of foam to beer in your tankard. Also useful in that specific context:&amp;nbsp; Des zeig i beim Verein gegen Betrügerisches Einschenken an!  Yes, Germany has an association for everything, including one which logs incidences of underfilled beer glasses. 
  Zwoa Mass, biddeschee!   The second most important phrase ever: “Two tankards of beer, please!” 
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                            <updated>2017-08-30T13:30:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Oktoberfest Dirndl Shop at the Oktoberfest 2016</title>
            <id>https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/oktoberfest-dirndl-shop-at-the-oktoberfest-2016</id>
            <link href="https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/oktoberfest-dirndl-shop-at-the-oktoberfest-2016"/>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[
                
                                            Anyone who sells Bavarian clothing has to like wearing it - and there&#039;s no place we enjoy wearing our dirndls and lederhosen more than at the Munich Oktoberfest. Read about our 2016 trip!
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                 18 wonderful days (one more than usual thanks to the Day of German Unity falling on a Monday...) and here we are: at the end of the 2016 Oktoberfest, the 183rd in the long history of this traditional festival. 
 Lots of people have remarked on how quiet things were this year - it is, apparently, the least busy Oktoberfest since 2001. Now, that is doubtless the case in statistical terms. For us, however, the  Wiesn  was the same as every year: jam-packed with fun, excitement, and chance encounters of the kind you only experience here. Besides all the beer and the singing and the dancing, the thing we love most about the Oktoberfest is the dress, of course. Since we sell many of the dirndls and lederhosen people wear, we get a heads-up on the major trends: this year, it was all about  hair accessories  and Bavarian  hi-top  sneakers for the girls, traditional  costume shirts  or  casual tops  for the boys. (We probably don&#039;t need to tell you that  dirndls  and lederhosen (his  and   hers ) were as popular and as varied as ever.) 
   Our Oktoberfest 2016   
 Our team made a valiant effort to wear as much of that as possible - and more. What you&#039;ll want to know, though, is what we got up to while we were doing it, right? Well, one of the first reservations we had was in the Armbrustsch&amp;uuml;tzenzelt: and thank - quite literally: - heavans we had one, because the skies were anything other than clear in those first few days. 
     
 Around the middle of the first week, however, the weather gods decided to look kindly on Munich and sent a textbook September summer our way. Fresh mornings, warm afternoons, and temperate evenings just right for sitting outside in the beer gardens. That&#039;s when we headed to Sch&amp;uuml;tzenfestzelt for a few days: a great place to soak up the sun and - what with the tents not closed due to overcrowding - a good place from which to view the crazy goings-on (Sch&amp;uuml;tzen has a gallery on three sides that offers expansive views). 
 If you&#039;re wondering what those little spots are in the middle picture, by the way, they&#039;re balloons released after the traditional Sunday morning brass band concert held round the corner at the feet of the Bavaria statue. 
     
 Now, as pleasant as the beer garden may be on days like that, the real life and soul of the Oktoberfest is, as we all know, in the tents. Hacker, especially, is known as the location of choice for Munich&#039;s young party crowd, and so we heeded its siren call. We were especially curious to see the new interior - the tent was refitted for this year to be airier, bigger, and more comfortable - and see if the atmosphere was still the same... 
     
 And do you know what? It was! But what is the atmosphere in Hacker like, then, we hear you ask? Well, it&#039;s hard to describe precisely, but let&#039;s just say that we were deeply surprised to find out that it was closing time... 
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            </content>

                            <updated>2016-10-03T16:15:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Oktoberfest Fashion: should you wear a dirndl?</title>
            <id>https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/oktoberfest-fashion-should-you-wear-a-dirndl</id>
            <link href="https://www.alpenclassics.co.uk/blog/oktoberfest/oktoberfest-fashion-should-you-wear-a-dirndl"/>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[
                
                                            Wearing traditional dress to the Oktoberfest. Choosing the right dirndl or lederhosen. Second-hand dirndl and lederhosen. How to tie a dirndl apron knot. Everyone, it seems, young and old alike, is wearing a traditional Bavarian dirndl (local traditional women&#039;s dress) or lede...
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  Nowadays, everyone - literally everyone, young and old, local and foreign - wears a traditional Bavarian dirndl or lederhosen to the Munich Oktoberfest. In fact, people not wearing the traditional costumes are in the minority at the festival these days. If you don&#039;t have traditional clothing, though, rest assured: the Oktoberfest is about more than just what you&#039;re wearing, traditional or otherwise, and dirndl and lederhosen or not, everyone is there to enjoy themselves and partake in this unique annual Bavarian festival.  
  However, if, like many of the visitors to the Oktoberfest, you find the idea of wearing a dirndl or lederhosen intriguing, then don&#039;t be afraid to take the plunge. You certainly won&#039;t be on your own! The problem you might have, though, is that when you can expect to pay anything upwards of a hundred Euros for your traditional outfit, choosing the right dirndl or the correct lederhosen can be a tricky and baffling affair. You should always make sure that the clothes are of the best quality and have all of the right design elements. It&#039;s a difficult balance to get right: your traditional dirndl or lederhosen need to be timeless and traditional while still reflecting your own unique personality and preferences.   
     
  If you are only planning to visit the Munich Oktoberfest once, the idea of spending a three-figure sum on a dirndl or lederhosen can be a little off-putting, but there are ways around this if, like many of the other visitors to the festival, you really do want to wear traditional dress and fully particpate in the event. Look out for the many second-hand shops both in town and around the festival site itself. You will find many good designs here and at a more reasonable price. And if you later hear someone referring to you as a &quot;Saupreiß&quot; (colloquialism meaning non-native Bavarian) while you are wearing your traditional dress, you can smile and remind them of what their legendary former mayor, Christian Ude, said: &quot;In this city, the reason for wearing traditional costume is to show feelings of togetherness during celebrations.&quot;  
 
 
  And, finally, a tip for women who plan to wear the traditional Bavarian dirndl to the Munich Oktoberfest: be careful which hip you tie the apron knot on. If you tie it on the right hip it indicates that you are married, but if it is on the left hip, it says &quot;I‘m single&quot;.   
 
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                            <updated>2013-08-22T15:16:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
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