Pictures: Oktoberfest 2012 – Hannover, Germany

This was the view as we approached the Oktoberfest fairgrounds. I was so excited I had to go pee pee behind that tree on the left.

In Hannover, Oktoberfest takes place at the Schützenplatz, which is an open area directly across from the AWD Arena (home of the Hannover 96 soccer team, and yeah, you heard me right, I just called it ‘soccer’). This year, Oktoberfest ran from September 28th until October 14th, and yet The Wife and I almost missed it! We kept meaning to check it out, but (my wife) couldn’t seem to find the time. I finally jogged past the fairgrounds one morning and noticed it would only be open for one more weekend. That’s when I finally convinced my wife we had to go.

“I ran past Oktoberfest this morning and there’s only one weekend left!” I exclaimed. “There were tons of beer tents in there! They even had roller coasters with Germans on them! Screaming Germans! I need this, honey. I need it so bad.”

The Wife relented and we experienced our very first Hannover Oktoberfest together. It was AWESOME.

Here are the pictures we took that night. I’m sorry there aren’t more; I was too busy experiencing pure, unadulterated joy.

Looks like the entrance to just about any fair you’d find in the United States, doesn’t it? Though inconspicuous from this angle, that tent on the left is just a tiny feature of a massive beer garden seen immediately upon arrival. I told my wife, “Go on without me. I’m never leaving this place.”

“Look, kids, it’s the world’s scariest clown! And, uh oh, he’s trying to throw darts right into your adorable little eyes! Here are your ride tokens. Have fun!”

Currywurst is a really cheap carnival / food cart dish here in Germany. They hack up a bunch of pork sausage and drown it in curry sauce without a trace of remorse. Next to our currywurst are french fries slathered in (oh God) mayonnaise, which immediately reminded me of that scene from Pulp Fiction about Holland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4HfasmD6E

That’s my full liter of beer on the left, and my wife’s sissy half-liter on the right. I don’t know why this picture in focused primarily on the table, but I do know drinking in public is legal in Germany, and Oktoberfest actively encourages it.

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22 thoughts

Glad you enjoyed your real German Oktoberfest!
Most cities and smaller towns have a Fair through out the year. Münchner Oktoberfest, Hamburger Dom, Bremer Freimarkt u.s.w.
BTW der Bremer Freimarkt (lit. Free Fair) , first held in 1035, is the oldest fair in Germany and considered to be the biggest festival in Northern Germany. :)

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Oh God, My Wife Is German says:

November 14, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Thank you!

Bremer Freimarkt? I must now ask my wife about this and mark the calendar, for there must surely be beer at this event, and surely nothing else can be so important. :)

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Stadt der Engel says:

November 15, 2012 at 1:37 am

I am sure you will find at the Bremer Freimarkt – hometown of Beck’s Beer – beer somewhere ;)
If need to be, you can go to “das Bayernzelt” at the Bremer Freimarkt and have a Hefeweizen ;) ;)

LG Anja

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Oh God, My Wife Is German says:

November 15, 2012 at 9:39 am

Excellent! Hopefully they serve maß beers. They don’t do that as often up here in the north, I’m discovering. :(

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Sounds like your wife was somewhat reluctant to attend.. I guess after a while we all become a bit jaded about local events – darn tourists, darn misrepresentation of local culture, darn traffic – glad you had fun though :) Maybe you should make a project of attending Oktoberfest in every city nearby to compare and rate =p

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Oh God, My Wife Is German says:

November 14, 2012 at 8:58 pm

She wasn’t reluctant; she just had a different set of priorities. She was under the impression she had to “work” and do some “chores” before we could check it out.

I, however, was under the impression there would be beer.

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Stadt der Engel says:

November 14, 2012 at 3:52 pm

Glad you enjoyed your real German Oktoberfest!
Most cities and smaller towns have a Fair through out the year. Münchner Oktoberfest, Hamburger Dom, Bremer Freimarkt u.s.w.
BTW der Bremer Freimarkt (lit. Free Fair) , first held in 1035, is the oldest fair in Germany and considered to be the biggest festival in Northern Germany. :)

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1. Oh God, My Wife Is German says:
  
  November 14, 2012 at 9:00 pm
  
  Thank you!
  
  Bremer Freimarkt? I must now ask my wife about this and mark the calendar, for there must surely be beer at this event, and surely nothing else can be so important. :)
  
  LikeLike
2. Stadt der Engel says:
  
  November 15, 2012 at 1:37 am
  
  I am sure you will find at the Bremer Freimarkt – hometown of Beck’s Beer – beer somewhere ;)
  If need to be, you can go to “das Bayernzelt” at the Bremer Freimarkt and have a Hefeweizen ;) ;)
  
  LG Anja
  
  LikeLike
3. Oh God, My Wife Is German says:
  
  November 15, 2012 at 9:39 am
  
  Excellent! Hopefully they serve maß beers. They don’t do that as often up here in the north, I’m discovering. :(
  
  LikeLike
rabidfanisjustpeter says:

November 13, 2012 at 5:19 pm

Sounds like your wife was somewhat reluctant to attend.. I guess after a while we all become a bit jaded about local events – darn tourists, darn misrepresentation of local culture, darn traffic – glad you had fun though :) Maybe you should make a project of attending Oktoberfest in every city nearby to compare and rate =p

LikeLike

1. Oh God, My Wife Is German says:
  
  November 14, 2012 at 8:58 pm
  
  She wasn’t reluctant; she just had a different set of priorities. She was under the impression she had to “work” and do some “chores” before we could check it out.
  
  I, however, was under the impression there would be beer.
  
  LikeLike