Oktoberfest Food Festival

Oktoberfest, a beer festival and a funfair held annually in Munich, Germany, is the world’s largest festival. The traditional celebration lasts 16 to 18 days and attracts over six million people each year. It occurs from mid-to-late September until the first Sunday in October. What started as a wedding ceremony has grown into a worldwide event attended by millions of people who consume over six million gallons of Bavarian beer. It is known in the area as d’Wiesn, which is a nickname for the stadium, Theresienwiese. Apart from drinking beer, visitors enjoy a range of attractions like rides, restaurants, and games.

History of Oktoberfest 

Oktoberfest started as the wedding celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese on the 12th of October in 1810. All the townspeople were called to participate in the ceremony, which took place outside the city gates. After the ceremony, the fields were renamed Theresienwiese, and the event was so enjoyable that the townspeople requested the King to hold the festivals the next year as well.

Oktoberfest Facts

Oktoberfest officially begins when the Munich mayor hits the first barrel in the Schottenhamel tent, chanting “O’zapft is” which translates to “opened”. The festival ends on the first Sunday in October. Fourteen beer tents in Theresienwiese stadium sell alcohol by Maß (1-litre stein). Only six liquor companies are represented in the Oktoberfest stadiums – Späten, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. 

The year 2010 marked the Oktoberfest bicentennial. A historically significant horse racing event was held on the opening day of this celebration. The historische Wiesn (historical Oktoberfest) began a day earlier than expected in the event grounds’ southern section. The museum tent, freshly made beer, and horse racing gave visitors a flavour of the celebration two centuries ago.

In 2013, 6.4 million individuals attended Oktoberfest, and 6.7 million gallons of beer were distributed. On April 21, 2020, the Minister of Bavaria and the mayor of Munich announced the official cancellation of the October 2020 October due to the ongoing Coronavirus epidemic.

Oide Wiesn

The Munich City Council Resolution on October 16, 2012, declared the entrance fee for the Historical Oktoberfest, now called Oide Wiesn (Bavarian “old stadium”), at three Euros. For the first time, tickets were required, and the historic Oktoberfest rides in 2013 charged 1 Euro. Five acres of spacious enclosures offered historic rides, beer tents and other historical attractions such as steckerlfisch grilling, chain swing and a cotton candy stand. The entry fee includes a visit to the pet tent and racecourse near the museum. 

The Bavarian Farmers Association and the Hellabrunn Zoo jointly own the animal tent, including a petting zoo. The Munich Stadtmuseum took over the design of the museum tent. The Oktoberfest celebrations were held in conjunction with an arts and culture programme featuring performances by the Biermösl Blosn (local entertainers), and bands performing in the 850-seat Herzkasperl Festzelt had to play without electricity. 

The designation of the fest-tent is a memorial to the life of the legendary stage actor Jörg Hube, who died in 2009. Improvements were made regularly to improve organisation, and one of the modifications was that the artist tent’s seating capacity was increased from 1,000 to 1,500 due to increased demand. The number of people camping in the open has increased from 800 to 1,000. A total of 200,000 Euros was also contributed to the Showman Foundation to support the maintenance of a museum tent, velodrome, and the children’s programme. The festival grounds were also expanded in 2013, with elegant doors installed.

Rosa Wiesn

Rosa Wiesn, also referred to as GaRosa Wiesn and Gay Oktoberfest, is a word used to denote the number of yearly LGBT activities held in Munich during the Oktoberfest season. On the first Sunday, the main event, dubbed ‘Gay Church,’ takes place in the Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr) tent. Some events run throughout the festival week, while others require advance registration. There are ceremonies and greets, Lion’s Night (Löwennacht), feasts, and cultural activities. Rosa Wiesn’s tradition dates back to the 1970s, when the Munich Lion’s Club members, MLC (Münchner Löwen Club), the skin community, and moons mistakenly rented a balcony at the Bräurosl festival tent, assuming it was a football club.

Costume

The first display of traditional clothes took place in 1835 to commemorate the wedding of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese. In 1895, Maximilian Schmidt, a Bavarian author, staged another show with 1,400 participants dressed in 150 traditional costume groupings. Julius and Moritz Wallach, the advocates of Dirndl and Lederhosen, held another show for the 100th anniversary of 1910. The event has been conducted annually since 1950 and will be hosted again in 2022. It has become one of the hallmarks of the Oktoberfest and one of Europe’s most remarkable exhibitions of its sort.

Conclusion

First celebrated in 1810, Oktoberfest is known worldwide as a festival that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. The features and activities of Oktoberfest cater to all age groups. The festival attracts people throughout Germany and also includes tourists from across the world. The key feature of Oktoberfest is beer, but the festival has expanded to include entertainment and cultural activities that are enjoyed by locals as well as visitors. Each year, millions of people enjoy Oktoberfest and it is one of the central attractions in Munich, Germany.