Find a spot at one of the long tables or benches. Most Oktoberfest locations fill up quite easily, so you will most likely have to take the farthest seat possible on the bench or be prepared to scoot down once more people arrive. You will also likely have to sit elbow to elbow with another party.
Order a stein of your favorite German beer. Get the camera out if you want to capture the event.
Toast amongst yourselves or wait for a tent-wide toast to commence by the Oktoberfest officials. The toast typically consists of the load, enthusiastic chanting of "Eins, zwei, drei, g'suffa; Zicke-Zacke-Zicke-Zacke Hoy, Hoy, Hoy!" If you're just toasting to yourselves, you can still engage in this chant, which was made popular by Comedy Central's "The Man Show," or you can simply clunk your steins together while saying "Prost!" which loosely translates into "Cheers!" in German. Many bands will also finish their set by saying "ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit," which initiates another toast and signals a break in the music.
Order some traditional German food to go with your beer. The most popular Oktoberfest items are bratwurst and sauerkraut, German potato salad, potato pancakes, wiener schnitzel and knackwurst.
Participate in one of the many games and contests held at most Oktoberfests, including the pretzel toss, human foosball, a beer stein race and a pretzel eating contest. Being that Oktoberfest takes place in fall, many also hold Halloween-themed games and contests, including bobbing for apples, a mummy wrapping contest, pumpkin carving contest and costume contest. If the Oktoberfest in your area is quite large and well known, they may have similar contests for children as well.
Dance the Chicken Dance with the rest of the Oktoberfest participants. Though the gestures are relatively simple, you may want to refresh your skills at home before attending the festival if you're uneasy or self-conscious.
Watch the traditional German band perform a number of polka and folk songs.
