You must go!  Even if you don't drink beer - it's about more than that.  You can mingle with locals wearing traditional lederhosen, laugh at the crazy merchandise and just enjoy the amazing, buzzing culture around you.  The atmosphere is incredible as everyone joins together to celebrate.  So hold up your stein, grab a giant pretzel for Euro 3,50 or snag a wurst and cheer, "Eins, Zwei - G'suffa!" 

Ah this is a place I know very very well. I used to go to school only down the road to Orchard Road. Everyday after school I walked to Orchard Road for a McDonalds, hang out with my friends and then took the bus home at the end of the day. Orchard Road is a cafe society and was a famous hang out for kids and US marine corps. Later on the ANZAC troops hung out there as well... and now with many more apartments being built - it is a playground for the rich and trendy. Try out Pete's Pizzeria at the Hyatt Hotel in Scott Road (also considered as Orchard Road). The food is lovely and it is always busy. For a cheaper option go to the food court inside Far East Plaza Plaza Singapura. You can shop until you drop in the whole of Singapore. Orchard Road shopping is not cheap. Once it was very cheap but it has become quite expensive, on a par level with London. My dad used to own a restaurant in Emerald Hill Road but it has changed now. It is where you can see alot of history there - particularly the architecture. The beer garden at Emerald Hill Road comes to mind. It is a good place to sit in the open air and watch passers by all day. There are open air cafes e.g. MacDonald's, Starbucks, etc. and they are quite reasonably priced - well similar pricing to anywhere in the world. Public transport is easy, cheap and very very good in terms of design and punctuality. My advise get around on the MRT (tube) - excellent value for money. The Singaporeans are highly educated and very helpful.

I heart beer. I seriously do. If you enjoy beer as much as I do, this is the place for you.

If you don't like beer, but like festive, happy people, carnival rides, brats, sausages, chicken, cookie hearts that hang around your neck and Oom-pah bands, this is the place for you.

For 16 days there is no greater place in the world to be. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, there are drunk people everywhere. And yes, them aside, it is still worth it. The experience of just walking around and checking out the booths, the tents, the people can make for a great few hours.

A beer would run anywhere from 7-10 Euros, depending on the tents. There are free tables in the tents around the band, but most tables become reserved at 4 pm, so if you are at a table that is reserved, start looking for a free spot before 4 rolls around.

If you know in advance that you are going to be heading to Oktoberfest, start looking to reserve a table in one of the tents. Especially if you will be with a bunch of people.

But remember, if you like beer, then you need to head to Munich.

Oktoberfest is insane! Here are some tips for surviving this festival:
Number one, do not wear warm clothes or clothes you like. Ladies--no low cut shirts or skirts.
Number 2, buy wrist support bands and work out your arms ahead of time.
Number 3, Ladies, watch out for Italian men.
Number 4, be prepared to shout NO for hours.
Number 5, be prepared to stand on tables and sing for hours.
Number 6, Be prepared to be pushed, have beer spilt on you, your cheeks pinched, and your butt grabbed several times during the night.
Last but not least, drink a few beers before you attempt to go to this festival.

So much fun!!! If you like beer and making new friends this is the place for you. Get drunk, stand on tables, and sing "Country Roads" over and over again! (I don't why but they love that song) Also be prepared for massive bruises on your hands and wrists from holding up those huge beer steins for hours on end.

As a non-beer-drinker out for a night with locals, I'd just like to mention some of the otehr attractions the infamous Oktober Fest has to offer: extraordinarily beautiful, and HUGE cart horses, a very flashy new-age rollercoaster park (wise combination it may not be, but I had a ball!), foodstuffs o make you weak at the elbows and knees (German sausage is nothing if not world class), other tents with local wine and specialty schnapps (which bears no relation to the revolting sticky-sweet mess which most non-Germans think of when they hear that word), and a true human menagerie for the social anthropologist to enjoy perusing!