Kid Friendly Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

This year, knowing it would be our LAST in Germany, we decided to go to Oktoberfest TWICE.  Once with the kids, and once with our friends from America.  We took the kids on opening day, which is nothing short of an adventure.  

Hey guys, stand facing the sun and say cheese!

On opening day weekend, they have a big parade called the Parade of Landlords.  Each of the breweries that has a tent at Oktoberfest marches in the parade with horses and lots of flowers on their carts.

Somehow, Grant and I got separated from Todd and Natalie as the crowd had to part with the ropes so the parade route could come through.  See my cutie Natalie on the other side in purple?

The parade wagons are very elaborately decorated!

One parade float lost a beautiful purple flower that Grant picked up and gave to me!

Although Oktoberfest has been celebrated since 1810 to mark the wedding of King Ludwig I and his bride Therese, this parade has only been a part of it since 1950.  There are 14 large tents and 20 small tents that can participate.

Look at all of those beer barrels down there! 

As the parade was winding down, we pretty much ran over to the nearby L and waited for the 12 gun salute to begin and for the traditional call of, "O’zapft is!" by the Mayor of Munich which means, "It's tapped!"  At this time, the tents are allowed to start serving beer.

We waited very patiently for our Maß of beer to be served!  (Remember, bring cash to Oktoberfest!)

I was very, very thirsty on this day.  Just kidding... we shared these with the Australians that were next to us.

Prost!  To another beautiful Oktoberfest day!

In Germany, you can take a sip of beer if you're with your parents.  Legally, you have to be 16 to buy wine or beer at the fests (18 for liquor.)  But with mom and dad, you can have a sip!

Because it was our "kid friendly" Oktoberfest weekend, we didn't go into the tents, except to just sneek a peek!

It looked like everyone was having a good time!  (Especially that guy with the super long arm on the left ha ha.)  Panorama blur is real!

Haha, I don't know why this made me laugh!  It's Nena's hit song from the 80s that literally no Americans actually know the lyrics to!

Natalie and I were THRILLED that they brought back the Olympic ring roller coaster to Oktoberfest this year! 

AND GUESS WHAT?!?  Grant rode his first EVER upside down roller coaster!  (And it went upside down FIVE TIMES!)  I guess he just decided he was ready!  If you remember, Natalie also rode her first upside down roller coaster here at Oktoberfest.  (It was one they haven't brought back since!)

But of course.

It was a beautiful, sunny warm day, so of course the kids have to do the water obstacle course.

Next we went on the dueling WILDEMAUS ride!  This one is always one of our favorites!

The kids and I also went on the low swings!

I love this pic of them.  So weirdly chill as we spin around and around.

Todd sat on the hill and took pictures of us as we came around the bend.

We continued on through the busy "streets" of Oktoberfest and we came upon... a United States Revolutionary War marching band?  Ok!

The kids wanted to ride this one with me... which I can never remember the name of, except that in America they call it the Matterhorn!  We aren't making these positions or faces up.  True story, this thing went FAST!  Faster than the one at the other Volksfests!

There was another ride the kids wanted to ride that we sent them off with a few Euro to do while we enjoyed ourselves in the "mini" Hofbrauhaus tent.  It featured a spinning carousel that moved at a snail's pace.  I still managed to hurt myself when my dress got caught and I scraped my shin on a piece of metal! 

We rode the Olympic ring coaster ONE MORE TIME before we called it day.  The kids had a blast at their LAST ever Oktoberfest while we are living in Germany.

But it's never goodbye.  Until next time, Oktoberfest!