Octoberfest in Munich has outgrown itself and now has far too many visitors - especially foreign visitors - to be authentic Bavarian fun. What are some other Bavarian towns that have an Octoberfest celebration where you can have drink beer with the regular folk and without the huge crowds?

EVERY other town. Small. mid-size or big. Season starts in spring ("Frühlingsfest" in Munich).

I don't understand how the presence of those dreaded "foreign" visitors makes the fun any less authentic and I seriously doubt any other "Oktoberfest" celebrations would be able to offer as much fun as does the celebration in Munich but that's just MHO.

So, I'll be anxious to see the replies to your question.

I agree with your opinion of Oktoberfest.

I recall enjoying the Oktoberfest in Munich in my youth, but when I returned several years ago, it seemed to be just a cheesy carnival jammed with drunk American and Australian tourists.

I don't think there is another Octoberfest celebration. I think it's unique to Munich. However, there are lots of wein-und-bier fests all over Germany, depending on when you'll be in Bavaria. They usually have beer gardens.

In 2003, we stayed at the Gasthof Fraundorfer in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which has folkmusic and dancing. There were lots of tourists there-- some French, some American, and some German. We shared a table with 2 German couples, one couple from West and one from East Germany. It was fun, if a bit touristy.

You've got no idea

Once again I have to agree with logos. But if you are looking for something with the feeling of Munich but not quite so crazy and tourist-oriented...The Cannstatter Volksfest just outside of Stuttgart claims to be the second-biggest Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. It will be 23 Sept - 8 Oct this year. It was really fun when I went last year - 3 huge beer tents (instead of whatever insanity they've got going in Munich) and plenty of live music, great food, carnival rides, etc. It is still a largely German crowd too. And Bavaria isn't the only place that is beautiful in October - Baden-Wuerttemberg, with its gorgeous Swabian Alb and vineyards, is absolutely stunning!

Another vote for the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. We visited during the day and liked see the old folks who were clearly from a retirement or nursing home to the little bitty kids dancing to the music. Then there was that singing... I don't know the words..."Ein Proschen(sp?) Ein Proschen..." and the whole tent was singing.

Easy to get to on and fun to go from tent to tent.

Here is another vote for Stuttgart Octoberfest. We were guests of a Stuttgart native and had a blast.

The beer tents are large but not overwhelming. There are carnival rides as mentioned before so you have some variety from the drinking.

We had a hoot watching Japanese tourists doing the conga.

Gail

I'm amazed. An American tourist who complains of American tourists at Oktoberfest! I love it.
Fests everywhere btw.
http://www.beerfestivals.org/archive...trong_beer.htm
At last years fest I could have been sitting next to Martians and I wouldn't have cared. We had a great time, met locals and tourists.

And here is another vote for the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. Actually, it is only a couple tram stops from the Hauptbanhof --- it is not out of town, at all.

And as for cities, Stuttgart is much nicer, friendlier, and greener (parks, etc.) than Munich.

Also, keep in mind many small towns in Bayern and Oberbayern (Bavaria and Upper Bavaria) have much, much, much better fests than Munich. Start with Rosenheim and move south toward the Austrian border. As mentioned above, the beer fests start in the Spring and move toward the late Autumn. And speaking of Autumn, that is the wine festival time, which is fabulous in Germany and Austria.

Thanks for all the input. Stuttgart sounds like a beer fest that would appeal to me. I also found that Erlangen and Straubing, not far from Munich, have great beer fests.
I used to attend Octoberfest when I lived in Germany several years ago. Then, it was a mostly German event, and an opportunity for socializing with the locals. I also liked the local fests in my town, much smaller but still a lot of fun. Now that air travel is so much cheaper, the event has grown to over 6 million people, the numbers greatly bolstered by tourists - Americans, Australians, Brits, etc. - looking for a party. You even need to make reservations to get into the beer tents.
To those contributors who express surprise that I want to avoid the tourist crowd, I respectfully respond that if I wanted to drink with my fellow Americans, I'd simply stay home. I consider myself a traveler rather than a tourist, and want to meet the people and experience indepth the culture of the countries that I visit.

I understand how you feel. I judged you incorrectly and I apologize. I also consider myself a traveler. I grew up hearing stories of places overseas from my mother (Bavarian native)and have always wanted to see other places and meet people that are different from me. I'm at 28 countries and counting. I'm almost 48 and my dream is to fly into Amsterdam and take 2 months to get to Lisbon via Sicily, by foot, bike, and train.