Boomer On Fire #327 - It Happened Again!
Boomers - Living Our Best Lives
Welcome to Boomer on Fire, the newsletter that inspires and motivates baby boomers to live their best lives.
Once again the link to my article had a few sentences left out from the middle. That’s just weird. Last time I thought it was a one-off glitch. Second time, shame on me.
Next time I will post my article here in its entirety without even trying the link. But for now, here is yesterday’s full article.
Is Oktoberfest OK for Boomers?
Traditional Festival or Giant Frat Party?
If you have never been to the genuine Oktoberfest I want you to do a small mental exercise. Close your eyes and imagine what Oktoberfest might look like. OK? Now multiply that image by about 100x and you can get an accurate picture.
Oktoberfest began in 1810 as a celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig. It was such a success that it became an annual tradition.
Currently, Oktoberfest gets 6.3 million visitors, from dozens of countries, over 16 days. There are 14 large and 20 small “tents”. To call them tents is a bit misleading. They are actually buildings, some with inside balconies that hold hundreds of guests. The larger tents hold up to 6000 guests, with another couple of thousand in outside seating. The smaller tents hold 100–700 guests. Those guests consume over two million gallons of beer in the course of the festival.
When you look at those statistics and typical Instagram photos, it might seem that Oktoberfest is some sort of giant, teutonic “Burning Man”; something outside the tastes of the typical baby boomer. Personally, I am convinced that would be an incorrect assumption.
At Oktoberfest there is a lot of tradition on display. Many men and women wear traditional lederhosen and dirndls. Traditional music is featured in the tents. Despite the quantity of beer, the crowd is well-behaved. Loud, maybe, but all in fun. And the age range of guests is very wide, with no lack of attendees 70–80+.
The Oktoberfest food rivals the beer in quality. Giant pretzels, bratwurst, and maybe the best roast chicken you will ever have in your entire life.
So, despite the crazy pictures on Instagram, Oktoberfest is something that baby boomers can enjoy immensely. And if you go, make sure to visit Munich and the surrounding areas. It is a gorgeous part of the world.
Thanks for reading. Go out and live your best life!
Kevin