Who Germans like to sit next to at Oktoberfest

When pollsters asked Oktoberfest visitors who they like sit next to, the question was actually a bit misleading. After all, who stays in their seats once the music starts? If it wasn’t for the special drinking chants and other local customs, Munich’s Oktoberfest could easily be interpreted as just one big German Schlager music party.

Once the beer starts flowing, people are soon up on their feet at the world's number one beer bash. They dance and sway on narrow benches - and there's normally standing room only.

Friends and neighbors

But for the short time German Oktoberfest visitors do remain seated, they do prefer to sit next to other Germans: That applied to 23 per cent of those polled.

Italians and Australians, who came second and third as favored neighbors, have to make do with 10 per cent. And just seven per cent of German Oktoberfest fans would like to sit next to someone from Britain or Switzerland. A mere five per cent would choose to sit next to someone from France.

When it comes to visitors aged under 29, US party lovers score high. 16 per cent of those polled said they liked to sit next to an American. Young Germans also favor Australian and British drinking pals. They scored an admirable 14 per cent.

The universal language of beer

Anyone who still hasn't been to Oktoberfest may find some of the following tips helpful. Seasoned Oktoberfest visitors, please ignore!

Firstly, you can't choose who sits next to you in a beer tent - unless you book a whole table. But reserving one is far from easy. Most people are glad to find somewhere to sit at all. So generally speaking, you don't get to choose who will sit next to you.

Maybe Germans just want to sit next to someone who speaks their own language. How many Germans can chat in Spanish or Italian anyway? But then again, when it comes to Oktoberfest, you can forget language barriers. Just imagine a party tent where some 6,000 people are downing liters of beer like there is no tomorrow. And doing it in time to the music. Serious conversation hardly comes into the equation.

Come to Munich and meet the world

Party animals from seventy different nations, from Italy to Venezuela and from Costa Rica to Kazakhstan, also spent their money at Oktoberfest. But nobody polled seemed to have made acquaintance with any of them.

So why do German Oktoberfest visitors say they prefer to sit next to someone from Texas or a reveler from Bella Italia? In order to answer that it is time perhaps to dip into our bag of clichés.

Wanting to sit next to someone from Asia is understandable: They will be sure to capture all the merrymaking on film... over and over again. But make sure you leave them a mailing address for the photos, as the Asian visitors will soon be boarding a bus for Rome, Madrid or Paris. That is, if they can take all that Bavarian beer, of course.

People from Britain don't seem to have any trouble handling the extra liters of beer and visitors from across the channel are easy to recognize. They dress up for the occasion as if they were attending Carnival in Cologne, except for our friends from Scotland, of course. They often arrive in kilts.

Smart Italians sporting large quantities of eau de cologne and hiding behind designer shades might make some German girls go weak at the knees. In fact, you'll find hundreds of thousands of Italians at Oktoberfest at the weekend halfway through the event. And you don't need to worry about getting a room if cupid's arrow does strike, because your Roman Romeo has probably parked his camper just around the corner.

Australians love Oktoberfest. But sometimes they do drink one beer too many. And even the 10 euros for a liter of beer seem pretty reasonable if you hail from Sydney. If you do pal up with some Australians at Oktoberfest, by the way, you’ll probably have a great time. Even if most of them do end up under the table.

But do you know what the best thing is about Oktoberfest? The days are long and you're sure to make new friends. Whether they come from Bavaria, Italy or Brazil, the main thing here is to have a good time together, no matter who you party with.