What better way to celebrate German-American friendship than with a year of traveling Oktoberfests? With our three “Wiesn in a Box” trailers, we’re bringing beer, pretzels, and a modern Oktoberfest vibe to towns across America. We’ve combined Bauhaus style architecture with the latest Bavarian beats to bring Americans coast to coast a truly unique Oktoberfest experience, a year-long toast to our historic ties. Prost to German-American friendships, old and new!
Sound like a true Münchener while you’re prost-ing with your friends! Our list below contains the most important words and expressions you’re likely to encounter while stumbling around the Wiesn of Oktoberfest. This collection reflects the uniqueness of the Bavarian dialect, containing words that even Germans from other parts of the country might not be familiar with. Enjoy, Gaudi!
Just “hoomp tataa”? Far from it! Wiesn revelers nowadays enjoy more than traditional Oktoberfest hits. Listen in here for a quirky and funky twist on the classics, the sound of Bavaria today.
For Germans, concepts like the south, the sun, and the beach are difficult to comprehend. Our beaches are in the north and in the south we just have lakes (but we longingly call them seas – like the Bavarian or Swabian Sea). Mainly there are mountains, where we ski. The sun however, we cherish as much as everyone else.
“Oida” is an eclectic Bavarian word that translates to something like “dude” in English. It can be used a lot like the “f”-word in English–as an exclamation. However, “oida” can only be used as a noun and it isn’t as vulgar as the “f”-word. In standard German, you would say “Alter,” which literally means “old one”.