Moses Wolff - Meet Me in Munich: A Beer Lover’s Guide to Oktoberfest

Meet Me in

Munich

Meet Me in

Munich

A Beer Lovers Guide to Oktoberfest

MOSES WOLFF

photographs by VOLKER DERLATH

translated by Tobi Haberstroh

Contents

Author

Moses Wolff, born in 1969 in Munich, is an actor, comedian, author, and Oktoberfest professional. He writes regularly for the satire magazine Titanic. He loves Oktoberfest more than anything else and lives in Isarvorstadt, Munich.

Photographer

Volker Derlath, also from Munich, is an art photographer. He is a winner of the Schwabing Art Prize and is known for his photo column in the Sddeutsche Zeitung, Die andere Seite (The Other Side).

Originally published in Germany under the title Ozapft is! Das Wiesn-Handbuch, by Moses Wolff

Copyright 2012, 2013 by Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, a division of Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, Mnchen, Germany Translation copyright 2013 by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

Photos Volker Derlath

Illustrations Moses Wolff

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62873-510-9

For Bazi

It Begins with the Build

Every year in the middle of July, about two months before the beginning of the most famous folk festival in the world, the first semitrailers arrive at the Theresienwiesethe grounds where Oktoberfest is held each yearin Munich. Busy craftsmen and master tent builders search for the spot assigned to them by the Bavarian capitals department of tourism. Slowly but surely they raise giant beer tents and colorful carnival rides on the large paved field in the middle of Munich. Builders work up in the windy heights of roller coasters or move the load-bearing pieces of a beer tent into position.

Beer drinkers of the world, unite!

Some people are already raising their mugs during the build.

Most people have no idea how difficult it is to build a tent like that. Im fascinated every time I see it. Everything begins with the girdersthose huge, weight-bearing pieces that form the skeleton of each festival hall. Bit by bit the aisles, ceiling, and inner workings of the tent appear. Everything is built in quick succession: balcony rigs, floorboards, planks, beams, electronics. Finally, the decorations are put up, nailed, and secured. All around you hear banging and drilling, screwing and hammering, rattling and humming. But theres something for your eyes and nose, too: it smells like resin, and you can see plaques, busts, statues, wreaths, decorative vats, puppets, and lighting equipment lying everywhere.

The entire Wiesn comes to life. Inside, carpenters hammer the beams of the tents in place; outside, TV (Technischer berwachungsvereinTechnical Inspection Association) workers check the rides for safety. Heavy trucks and utility vans are parked all around. Hundreds of people are at work, stress-free but highly productive. Everyone is buzzing around chaotically.

To this day, I go every year with my mother at the beginning of the build on the Theresienwiese. We love the noise, the atmosphere, the smell, and the luxury to be able to live in a city like this and experience such a wonderful folk festival coming to life in the flesh. For me as a self-avowed Oktoberfest fan, all the fun begins here, during the build.

Oktoberfest is sort of like a roller coaster that you get on in the middle of July with butterflies in your stomach. The roller coaster climbs higher each day, then suddenly plunges into two turbulent, thrilling weeks before ending in early October with a highly satisfying finale. Then you cheerfully await the next round. I always take great joy in the beginning of this ride.

I can still remember attending the build for the first time with my school friends when I was about nine years old. We took the S-Bahn from Pasing to Hackerbrcke and walked over to the Theresienwiese. Honestly, we had expected to arrive at a sort of folk festival ghost town, since it was still weeks until the tappingthat wonderful ceremony that marks the official beginning of Oktoberfest with a clean mallet strike. We boys were quite surprised when we arrived and, instead of a complete but dead fairground, found half-finished tent structures, diligent handymen, showmen running this way and that, and countless busily humming trucks and trailers. An older Munich local who was sitting on a bench on the edge of the Theresienwiese noticed our bewilderment. As I recall, he spoke in a thick Bavarian accent and said, somewhat disapprovingly, You could all put yourselves to good use over there. A moment later he had an epiphany: Why dont these people let this rubbish just stay here the whole year? Then they wouldnt have to go through all this trouble every year. At the time I didnt have an answer for that quite legitimate question, but today I would say: Because then there wouldnt be a build, and thats a big part of the tradition. Thats obvious. Not to mention that many other events happen on the during the rest of the year.

Excitement for the greatest event of the year grows in the hearts of every true Munich citizen as soon as the Oktoberfest build begins. It means theres really just a few weeks until Oktoberfest is kicked off with the cry of Ozapft is!Its tapped!

Since physical needs must also be taken care of during a build like this, there are a few tent canteens, where workers can buy good food and drink for a reasonable price. After onlookers and wanderers began showing up during the build, it was tolerated but not officially allowed for outsiders to enjoy the canteens. It never got out of hand and never became a problem, but nevertheless at some point a worker ID became a requirement for enjoying beer and chicken in the canteen under the summer sun. However, if one simply sits down and doesnt eat anything, no one says anything. Or so Im told.

For those who just cant wait: the Oktoberfest canteen.