The Proceedings at a Festhalle
One of the largest festhallen is the Concordia Club, billed the Home of Oktoberfest. A German Club that during Oktoberfest has installed a huge tent on its property able to house 3500-4000 people.
Tickets for the Friday/Saturday night events sell out months in advance; that is how popular this festhalle is. But don't worry if you do not have tickets, advance tickets only guarantee you entrance in the first hour of opening, but then more tickets can be bought at the door. If that isn't good enough, you will probably also be able to find tickets being sold by scalpers. You know the party inside must be worth a visit when that's the case.
Although the lines to enter may look long, they actually move very fast. Once inside the tent, it is a mass of people all sitting along communal tables or wandering along the outsides playing or watching the numerous carnival-style games. Several bars are ideally located throughout the tent offering various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, just unfortunately no German beers.
The middle of the tent is clear of tables so that a large dance area can exist with a stage housing the polka band, The Black Forest Band. Although early in the night the dance floor is relatively empty, by mid-evening the floor is filled with activity. Every so often throughout the night the floor is cleared so traditional dance acts can perform.
In the back of the tent is a large kitchen that keeps busy all night offering schnitzel, sausages, sauerkraut and other traditional dishes. For relatively decent prices, the food is great and goes oh so well with the beer.
The crowd is predominately younger (20s-30s) with everyone enjoying the festivities and no one ever empty-handed. By the end of the night the place gets pretty packed and moving around on the outsides can be tricky as you weave in and out with beer and food in hand.
Overall, this festhalle provides a great place to talk and relax with friends. Sort of like a club in a tent, but the constant polka music and great German cuisine helps to keep a bit of tradition.
Last updated: October 2006
