The band is Bavarian, the beer is brewed to a law from 1516 and the outfit is half the fun. Here is how to dress for 30 and 31 October at SKW, in seven easy steps.
Showing up dressed properly sets the tone before you even sit down at the table. You do not need a word of German to belong here but arrive in Lederhosen or a Dirndl and the festival meets you differently. The photos are better; the singing comes easier and the whole tent treats you like a regular. Here is everything you need to know, from the leather to the bow code.
Proper alpine Lederhosen, made from real leather. Knee-length is the classic cut, worn with a long-sleeve button-down shirt in a check or plain white. One small detail separates the regulars from the first timers: cross the straps at the back, or they will have slipped off your shoulders before the second song. Real leather softens and improves every year you wear it and this festival has been going on for more than sixty years. Think of it as a long-term investment.
A Dirndl is a dress, a blouse and an apron and all three matter. The dress fits close through the bodice and covers the bust rather than sitting under it. Knee-length or longer is the traditional cut. The blouse is white, short-sleeved or trimmed with lace and worn under the dress. The apron ties over the top and where you tie that bow is a language all on its own.
The apron bow does more talking than you will. Tied on the left, she is single and open to a little Oktoberfest charm. Tied on the right, she is married, engaged or otherwise spoken for. Centre front is traditionally reserved for the innocent. Centre back belongs to widows and to the waitress, so tie it there and expect to be asked for another round of Festbier. Read the bow before you wander over with your best opening line. It is the one sentence at this festival that needs no translation.
An honest Windhoek truth: proper Lederhosen and Dirndl are hard to come by in Namibia, so nobody expects perfection. If you own the real thing, wear it proudly. If you can borrow a set, or order one online in good time, even better, because real leather and cotton will outlast a decade of festivals. And if a festival-shop set is all you can find this year, wear it with confidence and upgrade a piece at a time.
Munich holds its Oktoberfest in autumn. We hold ours in late spring, when a Windhoek afternoon can push past thirty degrees before the evening cools right down. Leather breathes, so the Lederhosen will be fine. For the Dirndl, a light cotton blouse beats a heavy one, shorts underneath are a practical habit worth borrowing and a cardigan or jacket stashed for later will save you once the sun disappears and the band is still going.
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Flip-flops are for the pool. By the third song you will be on your feet and you will stay there, so wear closed shoes that are already broken in. Clean sneakers, boots or flat Mary Janes all do the job. Nobody has ever regretted comfortable shoes at a beer festival.
The experience stays Bavarian. The welcome goes to everyone, whatever you are wearing, so do not let an empty wardrobe keep you home. Better yet, raid the closet and improvise.
Gents, a checked shirt, brown or khaki shorts and a pair of long socks get you surprisingly close.
Ladies, a white blouse, a full skirt and any apron you can knot at the waist reads Dirndl from three tables away and a braid or a flower crown finishes the job. The outfit is half the fun, but not a condition of entry. So - put something together, bring the family, bring the first timers and let the tent do the rest. Fair warning though: one evening watching the Schuhplattler in full swing and you will be shopping for the real thing before the weekend is out.
That is the whole wardrobe.
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October at Sport Klub Windhoek, dressed like you mean it.
#ProstNamibia
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