During the early hours of the Otoberfest, the action in the beer tents is quite calm, like this shot around noon at the "Schützenfesthalle".

The tables are more or less empty, and the waitresses are waiting for orders and new guests.

Then, towards afternoon, the action heats up, and some of the tents will be closed as they are temporarily "overloaded". In such cases it is a good idea to walk around the tent and find a side entrance.

Once inside, all you have to do is to find a seat. Otherwise you won't be able to order a beer. Well, you may watch the Dirndl-Dancers on the stage anyway. :-)

This is Eva of the famous Hacker-Pschorr tent. The marketing claim of Hacker-Pschorr is Himmel der Bayern ("Heaven of Bavarians"), and yes, I fully agree with them. What else could you possibly want? :-)

Another photo of the Hacker-Pschorr tent in the afternoon. Later, people will stand on the benches singing to the Blasmusik.

This is a photo of the Hofbräu tent. This is the place where most foreigners go. You'll meet a lot of Austrailans, British, and Italians. And some Bavarians as well.

And this is a perfect "Mass of beer" - (almost) one liter, fresh, cool, with a nice white "hat", and with a light golden shine! This is what you want.

Essential tip for surviving Oktoberfest: eat before you drink! Otherwise the beer will go even faster to your head, and you might not be able to see how the others fall off the benches. This is another pretty waitress, serving chicken at the Hofbräu Tent.