Oktoberfest

If you're clutching a frosty mug in one of the many cities celebrating Oktoberfest at the moment, but aren't sure what tunes to down pints to, we have the perfect playlist for you. "Willkommen Oktoberfest" is a spastic polka start to an evening of hops and kraut, "Chicken-Dance (Vogeltanz)" is the wedding reception favorite reconfigured for beer gardens, and "Zillertaler Hochzeitsmarsch" is a decent argument for accordion solos, rather than the rock 'n' roll standard of guitar noodling and endless drum detours.

An hour has passed, and you're on your third pint and first plate of smoked sausage and sauerkraut. Obviously, the party just started, so don't let the wrong music make everyone drop their glasses in disgust. Modern polka master Jimmy Sturr has just the right formula for spinning your lady round and round, Maria Hellwig has a voice as hearty and heartfelt as a bowl of chowder in November, and Eddie Hadner yodels as well as a heavy-metal singer screams.

Don't call it a night and turn in your keys to a designated driver just yet. We have 15 more songs for a few final rounds of pints and polka, including a few bizarre but banging remixes of time-tested Oktoberfest standards ("Halt a Bisserl…Wart a Bisserl," "Der Schlager Hit"). "Im Wagen vor mir" grabs onto a mid-tempo groove and doesn't let go, "Alphorn-Walzer" is as warm and welcoming as a British pub brew, and "Ein Herbsttag In Bavaria" is so anthemic you might just find yourself buying a plane ticket there next October.

The "largest people's fair in the world" (an average of six million people annually) hits Munich, Germany, every year around late September, bringing with it overstuffed platters of sausage, sauerkraut, and cheese noodles, millions of dark and heavy beer mugs, and an Oktoberfest mix of polka-tinged music unlike any other in the world. Since it's easy to buy a six-pack of "Oktoberfest" microbrews but difficult to replicate a feel-good mélange of horns, accordions, and marching band drums, we've assembled a playlist of songs that'll have you knocking back beers and dipping your dance partner in no time.