As media, we got a hat and a stein. The steins were very cute, but… kinda small in comparison to the real ones in Germany. The beer was very good, we paid $11 for two beers in these lovely steins. I still use them and they keep my beer fairly cool.
Just again, please note, this is the size I’m used to in Germany. I took this picture in a beer tent in Munich last year. Granted the mug costs more, but it ensures a good time:
Food was provided by Bestie. My favorite part of the dish was the salad they suggested putting ontop of sausages.
I paid $18 for this meal, it was two sausages and a pickle. The salad ontop was an interesting medley and the service was friendly. The guy was helping me out with the different kind of sauces they had on the table. Though, it kinda made me miss the good old real Germany, where this is considered street food and be as low as 3 euro. I mean, sometimes I paid like 5 euros for the better ones.
I snapped this picture of this little girl in Frankfurt last year. She was waving it, I wonder if she was pretty proud to get a big piece – the size of the upper part of her arm haha.
It was pretty packed. People were having a general good time, and I was happy to meet the two ladies who got in as VIP. We all sat at the same table and reminisced about Germany. We got excited a tad bit when we saw some older German people dancing around too.
The lady with me had also been to Germany and experienced what I did as well. Below is one of the less busier tents in Munich:
Marienplatz, Munich:
Vancouver, BC:
I don’t know how to really review it. If it isn’t a mode of comparison, then Steam Whistle put on a good gathering, that drew quite a few people and their beer is pretty delicious, as I went for a second round before heading home. Their mugs are definitely cute collectibles, as I still drink out of it and it keeps my beer fairly cold. I think this event is a good hang out spot for all types – people who want to sit and just converse, to people who want to dance around and the crowd that takes thousands of selfies. (The stein selfie was interesting, I wasn’t sure why we weren’t encouraged to use #Oktoberfest2014 to make it more global, but I sure saw a lot of fun faces on #steinselfie) I’ve never been a super big fan of Bestie myself, but I’ve never been a real hater, so I’m lukewarm about it.
The only real criticism besides the comparisons is that the two ladies next to me were worried about the area they were in. They are much older ladies who are from Delta. When they arrived at the Imperial, which is just down the corner of East Hastings, they lifted a brow at the area this event was in. (This is how we started to talk, I was giving them some commentary about the locale) I am Vancouverite, I’ve also had a studio on East Georgia down the street, so I am very used to this. Knowing the area, it was still one of the reasons why I left a bit earlier. (Mostly I was concerned about my camera. I was worried about walking through the neighborhood late night with it around my neck. If I hadn’t brought it, I would have stayed a bit longer as the foot traffic from the Rickshaw and Fortune make this area better than most people think.)
For its authenticity, one should certainly try to make it out to Munich if at all possible. It is a crazy experience. You can watch the live stream for Oktoberfest online this year, to see drunken people on the fair grounds. The two events were just two very different things for me: the Vancouver one, the usual good weekend fun. The Munich one: an experience of a lifetime.
I wonder if any event (as other Oktoberfest events hosted in the City) will have the same effect.
