The Oktoberfest is a sixteen day beer fest which is held at the fairgrounds called “Wiesn” (“meadow”) which are located at the foot of the Bavaria statute in the city of Munich situated in Bavaria in Germany. Traditionally the Lord Mayor of Munich declares the festival open by proclaiming “O‘zapft is!” – “the barrel is tapped!” after the first cask of beer is tapped at noon on the first day of the event. The festival which is usually held in the third week of September each year, attracts more than six million people and is the most famous event to be held inMunich city as well as the world’s largest fair. This year the event which is celebrating its 175th anniversary will be held from Saturday the 20th of September until Sunday the 5th of October.
The history of the fair
To end the Oktoberfest , horse races were traditionally held in presence of the Royal Family and in 1811, an added attraction was added to the event in the form of an Agricultural Show which was expected to give a fillip to Bravarian agriculture. Nowadays the Oktoberfest no longer includes horse races but it still features the Agricultural show which is held every three years as part of the many festivities. The festival in its current avatar now includes more than two hundred attractions and side shows apart from the beer tents.
It’s not all about the Beer
Beer is the chosen drink of the festival and the beers that are served during the Oktoberfest are known as Oktoberfestbiers. These beers have been served at the festival since 1818 and are supplied by six main breweries which are commonly known as the ‘Big Six’ in the world of beer and these are Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr . The beers served at the fest are lagers which range in color from pale gold to amber. These beers are served in fourteen massive beer tents which have the capacity to accommodate over 100,000 guests. The beers are usually accompanied by a wide range of traditional eats like radishes, Obatzta (specially garnished cream cheese), sausages, and roast chicken or spicy fish grilled on a stick, käsespätzle (cheese noodles),sauerkraut, Bavarian delicacies like ox roasted on a spit , and Äpfelpfannenkuchen ( apple pancakes). More than eighty caterers join the breweries to feed the merry revelers at Oktoberfest.
Festivities
Apart from beer drinking, the Oktoberfest also includes many traditional parades and events and in fact the festival features more than 200 attractions and sideshows that enthrall and entertain the many festival goers, many of whom take part in the event attired in traditional garb like dirndls. Rides like the Olympia Looping and the Eurostar are immensely popular with the crowds along with longstanding Wiesn fairground attractions like the Krinoline (old-fashioned merry-go-round), the Teufelsrad, (“Devil‘s Wheel”) and the Toboggan. Yet another attraction of the fest is the Schichtl Variety Show , which is a true Oktoberfest institution.
Parades and music
The opening event of the Oktoberfest is usually in the form of the Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries. This event was first held in 1887 and it consists of a parade which includes beautifully adorned carriages which bear the landlord’s families, horse drawn carts that belong to the Munich breweries and decorated floats which have waitresses attired in traditional garb. This parade also includes the active participation of the Lord Mayor of Munich and is traditionally headed by the”Münchner Kindl“, a young woman on horseback wearing a monk‘s habit. This parade is held on a route from Sonnenstrasse to the Wiesn fairgrounds. This year the event will be held on Saturday the 20th of September which is the opening day of the Oktoberfest.
The Munich Costume and Riflemen’s Parade which was first held in 1835 is another event which is a part of the Oktoberfest and consists of various groups who dress in traditional costumes, music, and marching bands as well as trumpeters, amateur and mountain riflemen. This two hour long parade which is conducted along a 7 km route in the city center also features the splendid carts of the Munich breweries, coaches and historical carriages which delight the onlookers. This year the parade will be held on Sunday the 21st of September which is the second day of the fest. These two parades are always held during the Oktoberfest come rain or shine.
Other events of the fest this year also include the Open-Air Concert of the Oktoberfest Bands, Traditional Oktoberfest and Memorial Service, The Crossbowmen’s Regional Competition at the Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest Competition of the Bavarian Association of Amateur Marksmen for Air Gun and Air Pistol and the Bavarian Central Agricultural Festival of Munich.
The Oktoberfest promises to be a riot this year around as well and you are advised to make advance bookings for the various events in order to avoid disappointment. Do visit the official Oktoberfest website for information about tickets and the festival program. Hotels in and around Munich like the Hotelissimo Haberstock Swiss Quality Hotel and Der Tannenbaum Hotel Munich also offer special rates and packages for visitors hoping to attend Munich’s grandest party.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Europe, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 21st, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Being a lover of beer as well, I read this with interest. You have captured the atmosphere of the celebrations very well. Love the bit of history alongside it adds to the blog well.
Thank you.
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 am
My husband will be happy for sure if he lives in that place, he loves drinking beer. Btw, do you have an idea what’s the name of the food in the picture, the one in the middle, red one? Looks yummy…
November 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Its a kind of a traditional fish sandwich called Fischsemmel.