Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest (lit. October Festival) is a two-week festival held each year in Munich (München), Bavaria, Germany, during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. Other cities across the world also hold fairs, modeled after the Munich event, called Oktoberfest.

Description

The event takes place during the 16 days before the first Sunday in October (unless the 3rd of October "Tag der deutschen Einheit" - the German national day is a Monday or Tuesday) on an area named the "Theresienwiese", often called "d' Wiesn" ("the meadow" in Bavarian dialect) for short. Beer plays a central role in the fair, with every festival beginning with a keg of beer tapped by the Mayor of Munich who declares "O'zapft is!" (Bavarian for "It's tapped!"). A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion (see also Märzen), which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß (IPA: [mass]). Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in a Bierzelt (beer tent) which is large enough for thousands (see below).

Only six Munich breweries are allowed to serve beer at Oktoberfest – Löwenbräu, Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken), käsespätzle (cheese noodles), and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.

History

The first Oktoberfest, held from October 12–October 17, 1810 in Munich, was to celebrate the occasion of the wedding of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen, and was ended with a horse race.

Because of its success, it was repeated annually, later also with an agricultural fair, dance, music and amusement rides. The celebration had to be cancelled 24 times due to war, disease or other problems. Horse races ended in 1960.

Ironically, the modern Oktoberfest runs mostly during the month of September. The dates were changed to take advantage of better summer weather which made the fair even more popular. Largely due to coincidence, the festival now ends on or near October 3, which became the German national holiday in the early 1990s.

On September 26, 1980, a bomb explosion near the entrance killed 13 visitors and injured 200 more. The bomb had been placed by a 21-year-old Neo-Nazi who died at the scene. It has been related to Gladio, NATO's secret paramilitary organizations.

The Tents

There are currently 14 main tents at the Oktoberfest. The tents themselves are semi-permanent structures which are only occupied during the festival. The beer (or wine) served in each is in brackets after the tent name:

• Hippodrom (Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu) - One of the smaller tents, it's the first tent that many visitors see at the fest. As well as serving normal Wiesn beer, it has a Sekt (sparkling wine) bar and Maß of Weißbier. Considered one of the trendiest tents, and attracts the occasional celebrity.
  • Seating capacity inside: 3,200
  • Seating capacity outside: 1,000
• Armbrustschützenzelt (Paulaner) - Translates as the "Crossbow Shooters Tent", a competition that has been a part of the Oktoberfest since 1895.
  • Seating capacity inside: 5,839
  • Seating capacity outside: 1,600
• Hofbräu Festzelt (Hofbräu München) - The counterpart to the famous Hofbräuhaus, this tent is especially popular with Americans and Antipodeans.
  • Seating capacity inside: 6,896
  • Seating capacity outside: 3,622
• Hacker-Festzelt (Hacker-Pschorr) - One of the largest tents on the Wiesn, they have a rock band that plays from 5:30 each evening (as opposed to the traditional brass band). This tent is also known as "Himmel der Bayern" (Heaven for Bavarians)
  • Seating capacity inside: 9,300
  • Seating capacity outside: 0
• Schottenhammel (Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu) - Reckoned to be the most important tent at the Oktoberfest, mainly because it is where it starts. On the first Saturday of the event, no beer is allowed to be served until the mayor of Munich (currently Christian Ude) taps the first keg, at 12pm. Only then can the other tents begin to serve beer. Very popular amongst younger people.
  • Seating capacity inside: 6,000
  • Seating capacity outside: 4,000
• Winzerer Fähndl (Paulaner) - This tent is noted for its huge tower, with a Maß of Paulaner beer sitting atop it.
  • Seating capacity inside: 8,450
  • Seating capacity outside: 2,450
• Schützen-Festhalle (Löwenbräu) - This is a mid-sized tent. Situated under the Bavaria statue, the current tent was newly built in 2004.
  • Seating capacity inside: 4,442
  • Seating capacity outside: 0
• Käfers Wiesen Schänke (Paulaner) - The smallest tent at the Oktoberfest, it is frequented by celebrities, and is known for its especially good food. In contrast to the other tents (which must close by 11pm), it is open until 0:30am, but it can be very difficult to get in.
  • Seating capacity inside: 1,000
  • Seating capacity outside: 1,900
• Weinzelt (Nymphenburger Sekt, Paulaner Weißbier) - This tent offers a selection of more than 15 wines, as well as Weißbier.
  • Seating capacity inside: 1,300
  • Seating capacity outside: 600
• Löwenbrau-Festhalle - Above the entrance is a 4.50 meter (15 foot) lion who occasionally drinks from his beer. This is overshadowed by another tower where another drinking lion sits.
  • Seating capacity inside: 5,700
  • Seating capacity outside: 2,800
• Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr) - Named after the daughter of the original brewery owner (Pschorr), this tent has the usual brass band and a yodeler.
  • Seating capacity inside: 6,000
  • Seating capacity outside: 2,200
• Augustiner-Festhalle (Augustiner Bräu) - Considered by many elderly locals to be the best tent, due to the fact it sells the favourite local brew, Augustiner.
  • Seating capacity inside: 6,000
  • Seating capacity outside: 2,500
• Ochsenbraterei (Spaten) - True to its name, this tent offers a great variety of ox dishes.
  • Seating capacity inside: 5,900
  • Seating capacity outside: 1,500
• Fischer Vroni (Augustiner) - Another of the smaller tents. Fisch is the German word for fish and this tent carries a huge selection in its menu.
  • Seating capacity inside: 2,695
  • Seating capacity outside: 700

Dates of next events

• 2006: September 16 to October 3
• 2007: September 22 to October 7
• 2008: September 20 to October 5
• 2009: September 19 to October 4
• 2010: September 18 to October 3
• 2011: September 17 to October 3

Statistics

Number of visitors: 6-7 million

Beer: 5.7 million litres (1.5 million gallons)

Roasted oxen: 88

Sausages: 219,443 pairs

Roast chickens: 459,279

Price of a Maß

One of the biggest talking points among citizens of Munich in the lead up to the Oktoberfest each year is how much a litre of beer will cost. Last year (2005) the official range is between €6.80 and €7.25, as opposed to €6.65 and €7.10 the year before. In the past price hikes have been a very contentious issue.

Theft of beer mugs

It is strictly forbidden to steal beer mugs, although they can be purchased in the tents as souvenirs. Visitors are warned to keep the receipt, because the police actively look for stolen mugs even away from the fest area. Often when police catch someone stealing a beer mug, they are fined 50 euros.

Stealing mugs from the Oktoberfest is a popular pursuit for young Australian and New Zealand travelers. They are a valued trophy in Antipodean culture. People who purchase the souvenir mugs are considered to be "soft".

Oktoberfest in other cities

• The largest Oktoberfest outside Germany is Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest, held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, around the time of Canadian Thanksgiving; the twin cities have a large ethnic German population.
• Another large event is in Cincinnati, Ohio; over 500,000 people visited during the 2002 Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati.
• The pseudo-Bavarian village of Leavenworth, WA holds Oktoberfest during the first two weeks in October yearly.
• There is an Oktoberfest in Hannover, Germany, but the larger festival in that city is the Schützenfest Hannover, the largest Schützenfest in the world.
• The Bremer Oktoberfest is known as Freimarkt.
• The town of Wieze, Belgium.
• The city of New Braunfels, Texas also holds an Oktoberfest, as does San Francisco, California, Addison, Texas, Mount Angel, Oregon, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Panama City, Florida, Lake Worth, Florida[1], Frankenmuth, Michigan, Hays, Kansas, Baltimore, Maryland, Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Bavarian-reproduction town of Helen, Georgia.
• A huge Oktoberfest is held in the Brazilian city of Blumenau (more than 600,000 visitors in 2004), and many other Brazilian cities founded by Germans have their own Oktoberfest, such as Santa Cruz do Sul (more than 500,000 visitors in 2004), Rolândia, São José do Cedro, Seara and Itapiranga.
• In Argentina, a town called Villa General Belgrano in the Córdoba Province has an Oktoberfest that is well-known and the biggest in the country.
• In Mexico, in the cities of Puebla, Mexico City, Mazatlan and Tapachula Oktoberfest is celebrated by the descendants of German immigrants in these cities. The largest ones are held in Puebla and Mexico City where the German community is very important and one can hear German music and be delighted by German food and folk dresses.
• In Trondheim, Norway, an Oktoberfest is held every second year during the student festival UKA.
• Hong Kong has celebrated the 3-week Oktoberfest since 1991 and it is organized by the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel (German Beerfest Hong Kong). Many other clubs, hotels and restaurants have an Oktoberfest celebration evening or weekend.
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has celebrated Oktoberfest since 1992 and it is held at the Hotel Equatorial.
• In the Philippines, the Oktoberfest is celebrated all throughout the archipelago. The Philippine Oktoberfest starts every first of October and ends thirty days later. The event is marked by concerts and parties usually sponsored by San Miguel Corporation and Asia Brewery, the top two beer companies in the Philippines.
• Brisbane, Australia has many small celebrations of Oktoberfest. Mainly supported across the local university populations, it has spilled over into local restaurants and pubs, looking to join in the festival.

Not called "Oktoberfest", but very similar in character, is the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart which starts one week later and is the second largest fair in the world. Smaller beer festivals similar to the Oktoberfest are common in Germany and take place throughout the year in most bigger German cities. Some of them go on later into the night than the Oktoberfest.

Many other places have beer festivals, but the name "Oktoberfest" is generally reserved for the Munich event. Inspired by a joke on The Simpsons, there is now a Scottish version called the Scotchtoberfest.