This is actually an old post that I had on my old personal blog. I’ve migrated it here because I’ll be using my old blog for a different project.

I don’t usually drink. I don’t like crowded places and I hate going home late at night. I’m the kind of person who’d rather lounge around in the comfort of his room doing random stuff rather than partying late into the night.

So why did I go to the OktoberFest 120 launch at San Miguel Avenue last Friday night? Well, because I was invited to get in for free.

Call me a cheapskate, but who can resist free passes to one of the most biggest events of the year? Oh, I didn’t just get a free pass, I got a media ID that gives me access to places like the VIP media lounge, and the front of the stage. Ha!

Feeling media person

So even if I don’t like to party, this was a chance for poor-little-ol’-me to experience the OktoberFest, uh, experience. Donned with a media ID and a camera, I set out to cover the event like a good member of the media.

Syento Bente?

You may be wondering why OktoberFest was launched a month early, I too was confused until I found out that the people over at San Miguel wanted to extend Oktoberfest from the usual 31 days of partying to 120 days. Meaning that this year’s OktoberFest would span for three months – from September to November. Thus, the spiel “OktoberFest Syento Bente: 120 days aapaw ang saya”.

No Match

Gunning to beat two world records (Longest Beer Bar and Most Number of People Toasting), San Miguel made sure that they’d win it hands down. Just look at the bar they assembled below. It’s about 600 meters long! The current record holds 240 meters by Taiwan.

Oktoberfest venue highlighted in red.

As for the most Number of People Toasting, OktoberFest 120 had beaten the current record of 13,500 by a staggering 15,000 toasts. That’s 15,000 half-drunk Filipino’s toasting at the same time!

Yeah, 15,000 people! It’s true! I’d even bet there were more. The whole venue was actually jampacked. I had to dodge every time a bumper came swinging by! It was crazy! At one time, they even had to stop people from entering because the venue was already full!

Beer + Music = Great!

Aside from the booze, OktoberFest is also known for its concerts. This year didn’t disappoint. San Miguel rounded up all the biggest bands of today (around 40 local bands) and even invited Third Eye Blind to play.

Shot of the main stage before the event

Because of the unusual shape of the venue, three stages were set up on different key locations ensuring that everyone can enjoy the music while gulping down their favorite beer.

The crowd started to get worked up the moment Rivermaya got up on stage. They played all the Rivermaya favorites and even the San Miguel OktoberFest Syento Bente theme song while a grand display of fireworks lit up the dark brewy sky.

People + Beer = Trouble!

Oh and of course, when there’s beer, there’s bound to be trouble.

Some people from the outside tried to force themselves in by prying the steel barricades that divided the venue from the outside world (C’mon! 120 pesos lang ung entrance fee! Look who’s talking! hehe). Although I didn’t notice the actual event taking place, all I saw was the aftermath. The riot police later came and prevented any more mischief.

Meanwhile, inside the venue, the bouncers also had their hands full as people began showing signs of irrational behavior brought upon by booze. People started to cause trouble. Some even tried forcing their way to get to restricted places reserved for the media and sponsors.

Fortunately, no one was reported to be seriously injured. Even if there were, I bet they have already forgotten about it thanks to the combined effects of beer and loud music. I did (I actually got elbowed to the face while I was headed to the exit).

After having experienced a night of OktoberFest, I guess partying late at night really ain’t that bad. Looking forward to another awesome OktoberFest launch next year.

(I don’t have night shots of the actual event. All the night pics I took we’re all blurred. I guess my cam’s busted. oh well.)