Wonderful Wasen

Want to know what's better than Oktoberfest? The Stuttgart Beerfest, or as it is otherwise known, the Wasen (pronounced vah-zin). After allowing ourselves a couple of days to recover from the debauchery of the previous weekend, we attended the local Wasen. Our area is very residential, but across the river is an area called Bad Cannstatt which is more commercial. Grocery stores, a mall, restaurants, and the Mercedes-Benz Arena provided the backdrop for a greatly impressive festival.

An illuminated view from the bridge.

Tom's company had a table reserved in one of the restaurant buildings, we had the building name but I was unable to find the location online before we left. This left us wandering around in the dark, walking slowly and leering at each place we passed. I am sure we were quite a suspicious site. We were eventually successful, naturally it was one of the last places we looked at the back of the festival. I was expecting a smaller, but decent crowd inside, especially on a Tuesday evening. Imagine my surprise when we walked into a room overflowing with people, every table packed with standing participants a la Oktoberfest. 

Tables are numbered and signs are hung in plain sight on each aisle to aid in navigating the chaotic scene, we knew our table number and located Tom's coworkers. After joining them on their bench, I was able to gain a better view of the area. Some patrons dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndl, but the majority were in everyday clothes. A stage was set up against the main wall and a series of bands provided live entertainment for the night.

At Oktoberfest, we were there with friends and coworkers from back home so I was able to talk easily to everyone, a real novelty for me lately. Initially, I felt worried about not being able to understand anyone, but fortunately Tom works in a very international office. This means they all speak English in order to be able to converse with one another. I caught a lucky break on that one and enjoyed conversations with people from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece. You don't get that kind of opportunity every Tuesday night!

 This gent was one of the singers for the evening.

Music was playing constantly and everyone there was having so much fun, not just because of the beer either. There was a sing along where words were displayed across the big screen, in German, I did not do well at that part! The second band to come on did amazing medleys of pop songs (in English!) like "I've Gotta Feelin'" and some Britney. The true high point was when "I Will Survive" came on. Oh. My. Gosh. I was in heaven. Sometimes men can be fickle and try to act too cool to sing along. Oh no, not these fellows. I was surrounded by hundreds of people, men and women alike, belting out some Gloria Gaynor at the top of their lungs. I've included a brief vocalization piece below: 

The Wasen was such a blast. It is going on through Sunday and we are going to venture over, even if it is to just pick up some treats. I have been so pleasantly surprised with how many festivals and city events are held throughout each area. Attending things like this makes it easy to soak up a great deal of German culture without being too overwhelmed. At one point, one of Tom's coworkers leaned over and told me: "This is German culture right here." gesturing to the room full of singing, laughing, drinking, and dancing people. If that is true German culture, we picked the perfect place to be for the next five months.