Which is the best Oktoberfest?

The author of these lines is disgusted, just thinking of this question. To make this clear once and for all: Oktoberfest is neither a holiday nor a type of festival. The term depicts one specific festival established in Munich in 1810. In the 2010s lots of mostly purely commercial “Oktoberfest” events sprung up all over Germany, Switzerland, and even Austria. Their cultural significance is not any different from events in America or anywhere else in the world that go by the same name.

If you don’t have the chance to be in Munich for Oktoberfest, but you’re visiting Bavaria between April and early September, you may be able to grasp some “Volksfest” atmosphere anyway. Volkfests are festivals featuring beer tents and rides and are held in most towns in Bavaria. The largest festivals, you can easily reach from Munich ins half an hour by train are in Rosenheim, Erding (“Herbstfest”, both in late August) and Dachau (“Volksfest”, in August). Munich also has another Volksfest at the Theresienwiese in April, the Frühlingsfest (“Spring Fest”).