Sober at Oktoberfest

I have been a big fan of the largest beer drinking celebration in the world since I attended the opening day ceremony in Munich back in 2003. The Brewer’s Parade had popular breweries like Hofbrähaus, Augustinerbräu and Paulaner, march down Maximilianstrasse all the way to the Oktoberfest grounds of Theresienwiesen, in traditional German costumes and horse-drawn carts. Even the mayor of Bavaria himself was on hand to tap the beer.

Since then, I had been attending Oktoberfest organized by the German Club in Manila every year (although usually, by 9 p.m., my beer goggles have come on a little too thick and the rest of the evening becomes a happy blur). I was a little hesitant about attending Oktoberfest this year since I had been having on-and-off vertigo and my doctor had told me that alcohol was out of the question. I decided to go last Saturday, Oct. 22, anyway, since the occasion was tantamount to one big celebration. It was my first time to go on a Saturday, which I was told was the “real” party. (The previous two nights before were corporate, and the Sunday following was family day.)

When I arrived at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Harbour Tent at 8:30 p.m., the party was just beginning to get into the swing of things. The “oompah” music of the Bavarian Sound Express was the backdrop to liters of ice-cold San Miguel beer flowing freely into mugs lined up on every table. The ambience was good, the mood was light, and over 2,000 people were having fun. Even without the obvious (alcohol), there was so much to revel in:

Hearty Bavarian food. Roasted pork knuckles, grilled bratwursts, meatloaves and sauerkraut (one of the best I’ve had in the country) were just some of the items on the buffet spread prepared by Sofitel’s German executive chef Marko Rankel that kept my appetite satiated.

Contests. Who could chug the most beer the fastest was always the dare that egged on the crowd. There was also a dirndl contest, hosted by German-Filipina model Sandra Seifert and Azkals’ national head coach Michael Weiss that reminded me of a beauty pageant. A bevy of women, from Subic to California to Toronto, all paraded in their prettiest German costumes. Each girl had to introduce herself — and just like any beauty pageant, they were cheered on not merely based on costume design, but also on how well they engaged the audience.

Music. The Bavarian Sound Express, who flew in from Munich, started the evening by playing a brass instrumental before moving on to Oktoberfest favorites like Fliegerlied (So ein schöner Tag) and rock classics like Surfin’ USA, Proud Mary and La Bamba. They really got the crowd up on their feet — whether on the dance floor or on the benches and table tops. The song of the night had to be their rendition of 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up? Visions of our grade school alternative moments suddenly enshrouded us as we waved our hands in the air and screamed at the top of our lungs, “What’s going on?”

Raffle. This year saw roundtrip tickets to the Oktoberfest capital, Munich, via Etihad Airways, and to Singapore via Singapore Airlines being raffled off. Canon cameras, among many others, were also given away. To be honest, I’m sometimes dubious of raffles, but a friend of mine won at the draw this year. So yes, Oktoberfest raffles are drawn fair and square, and each person who enters has an equally good chance of winning!

The company. What’s a party without great company? The thing about Oktoberfest is that you come with a friend or a group, but later on in the night, when everyone has had one too many mugs of beer, everyone under the tent becomes instant friends! People start talking to each other, buying shots of Jäger, and dancing with complete strangers. It is pure good, friendly, happy fun.

For someone who barely drank this year, Oktoberfest was actually a lot more fun, probably because I could actually clearly remember all the details the morning after. Even in the late hours, Sofitel GM Goran Aleks invited the Bavarian Sound Express — who at this time were sitting enjoying their round of drinks and conversations — to get back up on stage to play one last “secret” encore for the remainder of the guests who were still having a good time. The spirit of Oktoberfest — with or without the beer — carried on as an endless honest-to-goodness celebration, and it’s reason it is anticipated yearly, around the world.

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You can contact me at www.twitter.com/cheryltiu or e-mail inbetweendeadlines@gmail.com.