GLBT Travelers - Anyone going to Oktoberfest 2012 in Munich - 22 Sept to 7 Oct?

I just purchased a ticket for Rosa Sonntag through Munich Bears (http://www.oktobearfest.de/events.php). Now I have to figure out where to stay (probably somewhere near an S-Bahn station) and which (Lufthansa or United) flights to take. Is anyone else going?

Any recommendations about last-minute lodging and where to buy decent Lederhosen is appreciated. Are mid-thigh Lederhosen considered too short? I get conflicting opinions about whether it should be knee-length or not.

Thanks!

cantdebug (a.k.a. Gabriel)

I have a trip that could leave me with a day or two in Munich as a stopover on the way home. Need to make a decision but not sure if I'm going to brave it as a woman travelling alone. It seems as though there's plenty to see early in the day and that all of the usual tourist sites/museums would also still be open, am I correct? Don't think this will be the time for dancing on the tables til the wee hours for me.

edit: I didn't notice the thread this was posted in when it came up on "recent posts." I'm still interested in hearing about people's plans for the festivities though I don't have any GLBT-pertinent input.

Best deal on lederhosen is C&A. Best selection and price. I got mine there last year ( just below the knee) and I love them.

I ended up getting a room at the Holiday Inn in Unterhaching (http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/unterhaching/mucgc/hoteldetail) which is close to the Taufkirchen S-Bahn station. Given the high hotel room prices during Oktoberfest, I got a reasonable rate with breakfast included. The hotel is across the street from the Stefan Sport Center (http://www.stefansportcenter.de/home1/home1.htm) which appears to be a decently equipped gym. There I plan to burn off some of the tens of thousands of calories I will consume during my stay.

From what I figured out about taking Munich public transit, I plan to buy single network-wide (Gesamtnetz) day ticket (http://www.s-bahn-muenchen.de/s_muenchen/view/angebot/tickets/tageskarten.shtml) on the day I arrive and the day I depart because I want to travel from/to airport as well as travel around the city after/before my flights. For the three remaining days I will buy a 3-day city-wide (Innenraum) City TourCard (http://www.s-bahn-muenchen.de/s_muenchen/view/angebot/tickets/citytourcard.shtml) that should take me to all the places I want to visit as well as provide discounts to some attractions (http://www.citytourcard-muenchen.com/english/munich/attractions/museums/bmw-museum/bmw-museum.html), e.g., BMW Museum.

I bought my plane tickets on united.com for United codeshare flights on Lufthansa. I wasn't able to select my own seats on united.com, so I got an account on lufthansa.com where I added my united.com booking. lufthansa.com allowed me to change my Lufthansa seats online. I kept getting application errors when I tried to upgrade on both united.com and lufthansa.com. I now have to call Lufthansa to see if I can get upgraded using Mileage Plus miles.

I started my search for my Oktoberfest outfit which I plan to use in Munich on Rosa Sonntag and back home in SF for Halloween. I added C & A to my list of shops to visit in Munich. I expect to pay a pretty penny for a nice pair of Lederhosen and accessories.

If you see a Japanese guy in Kimono in the tent on Gay Sunday, say hello :)

I have a trip that could leave me with a day or two in Munich as a stopover on the way home. Need to make a decision but not sure if I'm going to brave it as a woman travelling alone. It seems as though there's plenty to see early in the day and that all of the usual tourist sites/museums would also still be open, am I correct? Don't think this will be the time for dancing on the tables til the wee hours for me.

edit: I didn't notice the thread this was posted in when it came up on "recent posts." I'm still interested in hearing about people's plans for the festivities though I don't have any GLBT-pertinent input.

Come brave it with me! I'll be a woman traveling alone too. I'm going to be there opening weekend. Anyways, all the tourist things should still be open.

What does OktoBEARfest consist of anyway? Can non-bears play?

Come brave it with me! I'll be a woman traveling alone too. I'm going to be there opening weekend. Anyways, all the tourist things should still be open.

What does OktoBEARfest consist of anyway? Can non-bears play?

My friends and I make the trip every year. We went to the gay tent on Sunday last year, but didn't really enjoy it. So this year we will be back at one of the other tents on Sunday the 23rd.

It's a great experience, so if you're in Munich definitely check it out!

My friends and I make the trip every year. We went to the gay tent on Sunday last year, but didn't really enjoy it. So this year we will be back at one of the other tents on Sunday the 23rd.

I'm curious. What didn't you like about the gay tent? Any thing in particular that you disliked?

Just FYI, you can check out the Lederhosen available at C&A in advance on their webpage: http://www.c-and-a.com/de/de/shop/search.html?query=lederhosen&filterWelt=Men&m=de&productsPerPage=60&followSearch=9600&xml=true&orderedFilter=


Kaufhof in downtown Munich sells Lederhosen made by Isartrachten (http://isartrachten.de/kollektion-herren-1.html), some of it is available on their website, and gives you a good price indication: http://www.galeria-kaufhof.de/store/view/search?query=lederhosen&channel=kaufhof&filterbaseType=Product&filterShop-Kategorie=Herren Payback.de usually has 10% vouchers at Kaufhof (online or retail) that come in handy.

C&A and Kaufhof are already partially sold out, so be aware, especially in the second or third week.

So jealous! Been wanting to go for years as I'm sure would love the atmosphere there and would love to get my own lederhosen ;)
Friends (straight) go every year and been inviting, but seem to be always away. Like now in Singapore.... oh well, next year!

Please do let us know how it was.

I started my search for my Oktoberfest outfit which I plan to use in Munich on Rosa Sonntag and back home in SF for Halloween.

Make sure you don't mention to ANY German that you plan to use it as a costume for Halloween. They may get offended or insulted.

The Lederhosen is a way to dress up nicely for a special event. They don't consider it a costume.

I'm curious. What didn't you like about the gay tent? Any thing in particular that you disliked?

The best part of drinking in a tent at Oktoberfest is how strangers come together and drink, sing, dance, eat, etc. The people next to you begin the day as strangers and by the end of the day you're friends.

In the gay tent, it felt more like a bar. The pretense, drama, standoffishness, etc. you find everywhere else. People were far less open and friendly than we've experienced in the other tents. The flirting and sexual tension are fun, but it's not the same.. the fun of Oktoberfest is to let your guard down, relax, and enjoy.

That is all a matter of personal preference and those who place the prospects of making a "connection" as a high priority are likely to have a lot of success and fun. For our group, it took away the things we love about the event. We prefer to spend our time at the Wiesn in the non-gay tents and then go out to the gay bars and clubs at night.

The real negative was the toilet situation. Lines were very long and if you needed to use a stall, it was a 30 - 45 minute wait. They were also gross and disgusting.

C&A and Kaufhof are already partially sold out, so be aware, especially in the second or third week.

Thanks for the info. Those web sites gave me a decent idea what style I may want. I've allocated 2 days for finding Lederhosen while in Munich.

I'll be on a short visit arriving the Fri 21st and departing on Sun 23rd on Lufthansa 452 MUC-LAX. Reserved at the airport, but hope to find something more convenient to the fest. Any lodging suggestions that are resonable?

Any lodging suggestions that are resonable?

No chance, all of Munich goes to rack rate plus 20% during the Oktoberfest.

Trditional costume outlets have set prices if anyone is interested.
They usually cost € 199.- and consist of:
- Lederhosen
- Shoes
- Socks
- Shirt
- Braches/Suspenders

Check at:
Trachten Moser (http://www.trachten.de/5x-muenchen) (5x in Munich)
Trachten Huber (http://www.trachten-huber.de/index.php/component/content/article/50.html)
Wirkes (http://trachtenshop.de/filials.php?filial=maps_munich)

Remember the Stuttgart Volksfest/Beerfestival is around the same time with 2 similar partys as well :p

The best part of drinking in a tent at Oktoberfest is how strangers come together and drink, sing, dance, eat, etc. The people next to you begin the day as strangers and by the end of the day you're friends.

In the gay tent, it felt more like a bar. The pretense, drama, standoffishness, etc. you find everywhere else. People were far less open and friendly than we've experienced in the other tents. The flirting and sexual tension are fun, but it's not the same.. the fun of Oktoberfest is to let your guard down, relax, and enjoy.

Another great thing about in the tent is their rack of lamb is really delish. Huge but delish. I didn't expect the street vendor looking food would be that good! Try if you like lamb. :)

No chance, all of Munich goes to rack rate plus 20% during the Oktoberfest.

I ended up using booking.com for my stay at the Holiday Inn. I tried other sites like www.hrs.com and even major hotel chains' web sites, but their room prices during Oktoberfest were really high.

trivago.de is a good guide to compare prices for a particular location from all booking portals.

I am living in Munich, and I love the Oktoberfest. But I have no ticket for the Rosa Sonntag at the Bräurosl-Tent. And it will be difficult to get in there. It is always very full.

I like more the Rosa MONTAG at Fischer Vroni (second monday, 1.Oct 2012). I have a ticket for this (it is just easier to come inside the tent) and it is not that full, I will be there in the afternoon.:)

Husband and I are going to the closing night (October 7) at Spaten tent. We like the atmosphere of the last day.

I see a few post about women traveling to Munich for Octoberfest. I am a fun loving 50 something married woman who wants to go, but wants to meets with some new friends.
Thanks, Jackie

jackie-I don't know if you're exclusively looking for women, but I'm also looking to meet up with some new potential friends to explote the fest.
I'm arriving Friday 21 Sept and departing 23 Sept. Will be exploring the fest all day on 22 Sept. If you're interested in exploring, drop me a note. Hal

jackie-I don't know if you're exclusively looking for women, but I'm also looking to meet up with some new potential friends to explote the fest.
I'm arriving Friday 21 Oct and departing 23 Oct. Will be exploring the fest all day on 22 Oct. If you're interested in exploring, drop me a note. Hal


The Octoberfest ends at 7th October!

Should be flying back into MUC on the 29th and out and about the Wiesn that evening!

My favorite tents: Augustiner Festzelt, Hippodrom, Hacker Festzelt (Himmel der Bayern!).

If anyone wants to hang out, shoot me a PM!