Yep. You read that right!

Kinshasa’s biggest party of the year is Oktoberfest.

Held on Halloween (or thereabouts, depending on how the weekends fall), Germany comes to the DRC in the form of beer and music. Oh, and pagne lederhosen, if you’re so inclined.

When I told Kristen what days I was thinking of coming, she told me that I could NOT miss Oktoberfest, so I planned my flight on the 29th around the express purpose of arriving for this momentous occasion.

Mind you, the Oktoberfest tickets cost $100, but they include all you can drink beer, gifts, and a German buffet dinner.

Again, let me reiterate:

This is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Anyhow, we got to the party around 10 (we pregamed G&T’s at one of KT & Kevin’s friend’s apartments…), and as we were walking in, the performances were starting.

And by performances, I mean the youth ballet recital.

In front of drunk, lecherous adults.

I just have no explanation or words for how strange and awkward it was. By 11:30 we were lining up and waiting for dinner to open, because they also refused to feed us until the recital was over.

However, the waiting was super fun and I got to meet a ton of other Kinshasa-ites while we all desperately waited for sustenance.

Once we were allowed to the buffet, you can bet your booty I walked right over and loaded up a platter of sausages and potatoes. Overall, the food was pretty tasty! The beer… was eh. But I’m not much of a beer drinker so that’s not really saying too much.

After the ballerinas left the stage the band took over… and we were treated to “oompa” music for the next few hours.

GAH.

We danced anyway because, hell, that’s what we do!

Finally though, somewhere between 1 and 2 am, we decided it was time to head home because we were drunk and sleepy. Whoooops.

Overall, *definitely* glad I was able to make Oktoberfest because it’s 100% not something I’ll ever experience again or EVER forget. Oh, and, I looked *slammin* in KT’s dress if I do say so myself.

WORTH IT!