Oktoberfest Celebration In Macau, China

Jim and I never intended to go to Macau, China for the beer. Our plan was to take a day trip on the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau to experience the city and see a few of the city’s main tourist attractions, which began at the casinos.

Macau’s Casinos

Macau is seen by many as “The Gambling Capital Of The World” (as recently noted on a BBC news report). A city centered around large casinos, Macau’s casinos at first glance appeared similar to other casinos I experienced in cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The main difference seemed to be in the types of casino games that were played – I never saw so many Baccarat tables before!

Portuguese, Chinese & Western influences

Macau is known for its unique architecture and culture, which we explored on our own self-guided walking tour through the town –

We spent the majority of our afternoon maneuvering our way through the crowded streets, taking pictures of some exotic food (below a type of cured meat, usually made with pork or beef) and watching the flurry of activity in the markets and shops. By early evening, I was exhausted and starting to regret that we bought late 9:30pm ferry tickets back to Hong Kong. Luck wasn’t on our side, either, based on our earlier performance in the casino that afternoon…

Until we ventured into the MGM Macau hotel and came upon this sign below –

Bavarian Beer in China

Our luck had finally changed. We felt like we just won the jackpot! The MGM Macau Oktoberfest festival started at 6pm, and by the time we arrived at 5:45pm there was a rather long line of people already stationed by the entrance.  The efficient entry process, however, made me forget there was the inconvenience of a line at all when twenty minutes after the festival doors opened, Jim and I were outside underneath a beautiful blue and white Lowenbrau beer tent drinking our first Oktoberfest beer.

The site of the celebration was on a large outside terrace overlooking Taipa, the sea and the MGM hotel complex.

Live entertainment began almost immediately after the festival’s start with a performance from Sammy, a World Champion accordion player from Croatia, who played some great German songs by memory as he walked through the crowd showing off his impressive skills and posing for hundreds of pictures! Down a set of stairs on the lower level of the site, there were a few bar games set up, where you could test your skills at knocking down pyramids of miniature beer barrels or landing a puck in a litre beer mug.

We feasted on a dinner of Bavarian sausage with sauerkraut and a few pretzels while we watched the band march in, beginning with a bang as they taught the audience the traditional German drinking song “Ein Prosit.”

Trying Out A Few New Things –

Overall – our Macau trip was a whirlwind of a day!  I took my first ferry ride on the South China Sea. I added Macau to my list of travels. I explored a very crowded Chinese market area. (Though the claustrophobic markets were a slightly overwhelming experience for me, I’m happy I dove in and ventured down the street.)

Feeling At Home Far Away From Home –

The day was also a perfectly balanced combination of stepping outside my comfort zone and going back into it! As I drank some delicious Lowenbrau beer at the festival, I felt just as comfortable and content as I would be while enjoying a night out with friends at my favorite German Beer Garden, Zeppelin Hall, back in Jersey City. But I was far away from the United States, over 8,000 miles to be exact, drinking a Bavarian beer in China while overlooking the island of Taipa and the South China Sea!

More Info About The Festival