I confess, I skipped the Wiesn this year. Partly because I just wasn’t feeling it, and partly because I’m on a kind of detox where I consume no gluten, dairy, alcohol or caffeine (and pretty much lose my will to live). It goes without saying that Oktoberfest ohne Bier geht einfach nicht.
When we were in California this summer, we went to the Gravenstein Festival. A local annual fair celebrating the apple harvest. It’s full of music, fattening and delicious food, activities for kids and crafts. I asked my parents, who have lived in their town for 20 years, if they like to go. “We went for the first few years when we moved up here, but after you go a few times, you get the idea” was my Dad’s response.
That’s a little how I feel about Octoberfest right now. I highly doubt that my Wiesn days are over, I just felt like skipping it this time around.
What I will never stop loving, however, is all the people walking around the city dressed in tracht, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It’s so convivial and festive, and totally unique to this town. That was enough for me this year.
wahlmuenchnerin.com 