You might have noticed some photos like the above clogging your newsfeed this week. For all those juniors on-campus who feel confused (and annoyed) about Oktoberfest, we’re republishing an old post that puts the #abroad drinking fest in Brown terms. Two blog writers attended the event in Munich, Germany a few years ago, and in a beer-induced nostalgia for Brown, they compared the infamous event to aspects of Brown’s social scene, including the Whiskey Republic, a frat basement party, and Spring Weekend’s Dave Binder concert.
The differences between Oktoberfest and the three aforementioned Brown social venues are obvious—Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Germany in tents that hold up to 10,000 people. However, you may be surprised to learn just how many “comforts” of home we found in such a foreign landscape of debauchery. Among the lederhosen and drindls, we literally stumbled upon the same infamous characters and qualities that are quintessential to the Brown party scene:
1. Oktoberfest vs. Whisko
- Aggressive bouncers: Count your lucky stars that Whiskey’s bouncers aren’t German-speaking, whistle-wielding body builders from hell. These guys were literally employed by Satan himself. Who thought we’d miss the sassy Whisko guards that we’ve all come to know and hate/love?
- Bathroom stampede: We all know that the girls’ bathroom at Whiskey is always a shit-show. Well, that has NOTHING on the corralling of females taking place behind the scenes at Oktoberfest. We use the word “corralling” intentionally: the stalls were literally in a barn off the tent and we were but helpless cattle. If you weren’t careful, you could be dragged out of a sneaky back door under the false promise that there were “extra stalls” outside. Once outside, you became crudely aware of the fact that there was no getting back in. Let’s just say that only the most dire bladder pains would tempt us into that bathroom. Oh to be back in the toilet-paper-strewn, overcrowded restroom of the Whiskey Republic.