The state of Bavaria was brought to St Andrews last weekend as Kinkell Byre staged the annual sell-out charity event. Highly sought after and as advertised on Instagram, the sixteenth annual charity Oktoberfest really was an afternoon of dance, dirndls and debauchery – with more than a splash (spilled and consumed) of German beer.
The transformative Kinkell worked its magic, with costumed students and international guests (anyone lucky enough to score a table) greeted by picnic tables, hanging bottles of Jagermeister, food stalls selling bratwurst – and seriously the best pizza I have ever eaten – and of course, stein upon stein of beer. The beer alone echoed the feel of the event, bringing Germany to Scotland with five thousand litres of Paulaner imported from Munich, and all purchases directly supporting TCCL. Fingers crossed this year can match the massive £20k that was raised for the charity by Oktoberfest 2022.
Be honest though, did you really go to Oktoberfest if you didn’t pose for a photo with your stein? Or better yet attempt to balance it on your head. A special thanks to the person who knocked mine off my head while on the dance floor… Even for those who dislike beer, the Thistly Cross was flowing. And what is better than a jaeger bomb at lunchtime? The bar was efficiently run, and a stein for £6 in this economy might have been the most impressive part. The token system meant that you weren’t queuing for ages while waiting for others to pick up change which allowed more time for dancing – or queuing for the loo. I arrived quite early and the band was already playing. They played classics like ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads,’ with the floor never empty and many people ending up on top of the tables. I did see one man swinging from a beam on the dance floor, so I’d take that as a tell-all sign of good music. However, I will admit being glued to your stein while dancing does result in a kind of beer bath for all involved.
My favourite part of the whole event, except for the beer perhaps, was the dressing up. In true St Andrews fashion, everyone took part and followed the dress code, with the selection of dirndls and lederhosen an impressive sight. I even got a compliment on mine, with a keen sense of dirndl style, an apparent new skill of mine. Reeboks and dirndls did seem to be a popular choice, which I myself followed. Thank you Depop!
The strangest part, minus the man I saw being carried out by each limb, was my perception of time. There is nothing like day drinking, or all-day events in general, where 7 p.m feels like 2 a.m. Just after a quick trip to the Vic to see Raincheck (of course) I was in bed by 10 p.m. I have put my dirndl away in the wardrobe for now, but best believe it will be back out next year. Prost!