How To
By
eHow Parties & Entertaining Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
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German beer (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
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German music
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Soft pretzels
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Long, sturdy tables for drinking at and dancing on
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Loud sound system
Step1
Get permission. Nothing stinks more than having a thoroughly planned party get nixed at the last moment because it wasn't approved by all the authorities necessary for a party to take place.
Step2
Fix a date. Oktoberfest is celebrated for two whole weeks, so you should probably choose a single night on which to have a big blow out. Once you have your date, put up posters and get the word out. A party is no good if nobody knows about it until the last minute. Get people pumped.
Step3
Encourage costumes. Any themed party is always better if a few people go all out. Full lederhosen would be ideal, but a traditional German cap with a feather or a blond wig with pigtails could also work. The best thing about a silly headpiece like the wig or the cap is that anyone can wear it and it can travel through the party to different people as the night progresses.
Step4
Follow the rules. One of the most absurd things about Oktoberfest that makes it really fun and social is that there are dozens of bizarre rules to follow. For instance, you will not be served a drink unless you have a seat. This makes it so that you have to sit at the long picnic tables set up in the beer tents. Requiring a seat for drinking to occur inevitably inspires people to mingle and almost always leads to table dancing.
Step5
Provide German beers. If you are throwing an Oktoberfest party, it would be a disgrace to the German people to serve American beer. In order to get the full German experience, serve a beer that is actually served at Oktoberfest in Munich such as Löwenbräu or Paulaner. Also, you should provide non-alcoholic beers for those individuals who are too young to drink or who choose not to drink.
Step6
Provide some finger foods served in the beer tents in Munich such as doughy pretzels. The pretzels will also help to process the beer.
Step7
Choose the right music. You absolutely must play some traditional German music, but most people probably won't want to listen to that for the whole night. Throw in some sing-along type stuff that everyone knows such as The Proclaimer's "1000 Miles."
