Can you wear normal clothes to Oktoberfest?

my new friends at Marienplatz in Munich.

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Absolutely fam. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

My mom had a beer at the Hofbräuhaus during her grand tour of Europe in 1978 in jeans and a t-shirt. Leading up to my trip to Munich, she couldn’t understand my panic at the price of an authentic Dirndl because she didn’t even think I should get one.

Just wear jeans, Emily! No one will care!”

But Mom, yes they will care!

Need a ride to Oktoberfest? Consider using Flixbus.

enjoying a pretzel instead of trying on Dirndl after Dirndl the day before Oktoberfest

You see, I read countless blogs before going to Oktoberfest and most of them had the same thing to say (in essence) about wearing Dirndls at the festival:

You have to wear a Dirndl or you’ll look lame because literally everyone else is gonna be in one, but you have to spring for an authentic Dirndl and not get one of the costume-quality ones because that’s offensive to Bavarian culture and you’ll look stupid in your cheap Oktoberfest costume and everyone will laugh at you.

See also:

• Don’t Like Beer? Not Drinking at Oktoberfest Can Still Be Fun!

I was like daaaaang. Looks like I’m spending $200 on a dress I’m literally going to wear one time.

pondering how much dirndls cost

But then I thought, wait a minute. I’m a Kammerlohr. My family is literally Bavarian, so how can wearing a cheap Oktoberfest costume be offensive to my own people?

So I looked it up again: Can you wear normal clothes to Oktoberfest? but basically got the same answer: no (see reasons above).

By this point, I was in a full blown panic. I didn’t want to spend lots of money on a Dirndl, but I’m also a compulsive planner, so buying an Oktoberfest outfit last minute in Munich was too stressful for me.

What’s a girl to do? Hit up Amazon.

I got my Dirndl on Amazon for $49.99. Best choice I’ve ever made. You can find the one I got right here. 

Cheap Oktoberfest costumes run small, so definitly size up. I normally wear a 14 in dresses, got the XXL, and still had to have my friend’s mom sew velcro panels into the sides at the last minute.

I was pumped. I bought a relativity cheap Dirndl. I practiced braiding my hair to look barmaid AF. I was ready.

Or so I thought!

Can you wear normal clothes to Oktoberfest?

Smoky and I in our Dirndls. She got hers online and paid big money.

YES! ABSOLUTELY! 100 %.

There were tons of girls there in normal dresses, jeans, and even shorts (y’all it was cold — not sure what they were thinking). And you know what? Their cloths didn’t matter at all. While there were lots of people there wearing traditional Dirndls and Lederhosen, the people who weren’t didn’t seem out of place or like they were having any less fun.

No one cared that I was in a cheap Oktoberfest Dirndl. They wouldn’t have cared if I was in normal clothes, either.

Besides — most of the people there were too busy getting white girl wasted to notice what people were wearing.

Turns out, my mom was right. But isn’t she always?

To recap:

Wear what you want to Oktoberfest, but if you’d like to get a cheap Dirndl, check out Amazon. I really liked this one, but it wouldn’t ship by when I needed it since I waited too late. So I got this equally cute one. Also, I’m pretty sure when they talk about “offensive costumes” they mean ones like this, but you do you girl.

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Emily Kammerlohr

Emily’s all over the place. She’s an expert on working holidays, studying abroad, and turning your #GapYear into a #GapLife. Learn how here.