Postcards from Springfest (Munich, Germany)





















I am sure that you have heard of Oktoberfest, but you may not have heard of her sister event held every spring in Munich - Frühlingsfest (commonly referred to in English as Springfest). Springfest is held on the exact same grounds as Oktoberfest, and is basically a smaller, more local version of Munich's famed Oktoberfest. Now I have never been to Oktoberfest (I am hoping to go this September), but I liked that Springfest was smaller, less crowded, and from what I was told, much less touristy.

The festival has two massive beer tents, which serve delicious local Bavarian beer (and champagne if you ask... not that I did...), as well as lots of fun rides, games, and food. Now I am not a beer drinker, but even I enjoyed the beer. Although, I must confess that I liked the half-beer, half-lemonade slightly more. Inside the giant beer tents are rows and rows of tables and benches. You need to arrive early to stake out your territory. You then spend the next 6 to 10 hours drinking beer, eating amazing Bavarian food, talking to friends (and strangers), toasting (lots of toasting), and listening to live music. It is a really fun atmosphere. Eventually, as the evening wears on, the locals will begin standing on the tables to sway and dance to the music. I was warned to always let the Germans start this, since they don't get in trouble for standing on the tables lol.

Six hours in the beer tent was about my limit. I am just not a big beer drinker and there is only so much of the beer tent I can take before I need to stand up and move around or explore something new. Fortunately, there are lots of rides on the grounds and the city center of Munich is nearby. 

By far my favorite part of Springfest was dressing up in traditional Bavarian dress... but more on that later!


Have you ever been to Spingfest or Oktoberfest? 

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