Add those dirndls and lederhosen to your shopping cart as it’s time to party like a German. What’s touted to be Dubai’s most authentic Oktoberfest has returned to Ernst, Dubai’s only Bavarian Biergarten and Wirtshaus at 25Hours Hotel. The German pub will get Dubai residents hopped up on authentic Bavarian hops and cuisine from September 18 to October 26, in tandem with the popular 215-year-old folk festival that’s held every autumn in Munich. However, unlike Munich’s 16-day Oktoberfest, this one is spread out over 38 days with celebrations every Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday.
Oktoberfest at Ernst
Music, food, ambience, decor and drinks will all be as German as can be. Three different German brass bands will perform weekly, so you can do the schuhplattler (traditional German folk dance) in style. When it comes to food, a special Oktoberfest brunch menu with both halal and non-halal options, with baby chicken, veal schnitzel, Bratwurst sausages, lamb roast, mixed vegetables, sides and dips to dig into. Traditional Bavarian dishes like Hendl, roasted pork and pork knuckles, and an array of live cooking stations and desserts are part of brunch options. Besides, you can also chug down on litre-full steins of special brews. This year’s standouts drinking apparatus include a 3-litre Beer Tower and a pretzel tree, a Paulaner Shoe of 3 litres and The Viking Keg.
This year, revellers can also try their hand at the usual festival games as well as a Stein Holding competition. All you have to do to join is buy a one-litre pint and hold it at arm’s length – the last one standing wins. That’s your cue to polish up on your German and stock up on more words and phrases besides Prost and Guten Tag. Especially if you’re heading to this cracker of an event. We’ll get the ball rolling for you with this gem: Eins, Zwei, Drei, G’suffa!, which means One, Two, Three, Drink!