It’s September again, and that can only mean one thing: Oktoberfest. And if you’re just hearing about it now, you’re already late to the party. The 23-day long folk festival has been camping at George’s Dock since last Friday. Oktoberfest is toasting a decade in Dublin this year, and is intent on being “bigger and better than ever before”. White marquees are floating above the canal in anticipation.
There is nothing like Oktoberfest to mark the end of summer. The lingering warmth is just being carried away by a colder breeze, and our tastes turn their gaze to heartier foods. But before this happens, the turning point is a raucous occasion, and the final thirst for cold beer can be satisfied before winter spills in. Excepting Fridays and Saturdays, the premises offers free admission to everyone.
This year, drinks start flowing at 12pm and continue until 11.30pm. The frothy Oktoberfest wheat beers are soft and hoppy. Not only for the Erdinger beer lovers, all the usual drinks are available, with sides of savoury Bavarian grub. Numerous stalls bring the juicy meatloaf, leberkäse, a biting sauerkraut and all the other southern favourites. The scrumptious schmalzkuchen, a german doughnut, is sure to pepper you with icing sugar as you wind your way through the buzz of the market.
Wooden tables lie under the marquee tents where there is plenty of unreserved seating inside and out. But amusement abounds if you have restless feet. With your bag of German sweets, visit the games that scatter the premises while you are there. For the first time, Dublin sees “Hau den Lukas” during these festivities. It is a game to test strength, using a hammer to knock a rising scale. Nor will your revelry be unaccompanied, as house band Mostlandsturmer will bring you all the happy classics, including the rousing “Fliegerlied”. There’s no need to listen beforehand, as by the second time round you will catch on to the infectious “lalalalala” of the chorus.
By 4pm you won’t want to leave for the brief hiatus that ushers in the night. DJ Udo headlines the late crowd for over 21’s from 5pm. Electronic music is the evolution of the traditional festival. It is time to swap out spirited day-time joviality for the dimming lights of the EDM trance.
To find the festivities follow the frankly enormous beer blow-up hovering above the gathering of chattering crowds and the orderly rows of silver beer kegs by the water. It shouldn’t be too hard. Herald in Hibernia with a cheer. Prost!
