Oktoberfest is among us again!!!! Saturday 21st of September marks the beginning of the craziest three weeks of the year - no coincidence if the Bavarians call the event Fünfte Jahreszeit, the fifth season of the year: it is just a thing on its own league.
How excited are you for it? We simply cannot wait to be there at the Wiesn, have a Maß and embrace the gemütlichkeit!
Hold on, are you telling us you have questions about what to expect and want to quickly get up to speed with all that happens at the Oktoberfest?
You are in the right place, here’s a list of facts about Oktoberfest which will help you navigate through the event and know more about this wonderful celebration.
Let’s jump right in with these 11 Oktoberfacts!
When did it all start?
If we can all enjoy the craziest beer festival of the world, we should thank the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Ludwig I and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Effectively the first edition of the Oktoberfest took place as a celebration of the royal wedding on October 12th, 1810. The end of the festivities 5 days later was marked with a horse race held in a wide open area that became known as Theresienwiese (“Therese’s green”). 8 years later food and drinks started to be served, marking the entrance of Her Highness das Bier into the field.
Why is it called Oktoberfest, if it occurs in September?
Countless people are tricked by the name of the festival and get to Munich too late to join the party. They are hard to blame, as the name is very misleading. After the royal wedding in 1810, Müncheners started to realize year after year that the festival would have been an even bigger success with a somewhat warmer temperature. Hence since 1872, the festival starts every year on the first Saturday after September 15th and lasts until the first Sunday in October, which saves the face of the name ;)
Where does it occur?
Can’t get this Oktoberfact wrong: there is one and only one place where the Oktoberfest can take place and that is the Theresienwiese. This is a huge area not far from the city center. Building all the tents takes some months, with the constructions starting already in July and progressively taking up most of the area.
What’s the Oktoberfest vocabulary I should know?
With these words you can get around like King Ludwig I at the Oktoberfest (I promise, no need to fear long German words):
Prost!: Cheers!
Wiesn: short for Theresienwiese, the area where Oktoberfest takes place.
Lederhosen & Dirndl: these are the typical clothes you will see all around the Wiesn
Maß: the one-liter mug of beer.
Hendl: one of the most iconic Wiesn food, it is a roasted chicken.
Brezel: amazing piece of the Bavarian bakery tradition, you will see it sold everywhere inside the tents.
O‘zapft is: when the mayor of Munich taps the first beer on the first Saturday at 12:00 this is what he announces to the cheering crowd (“it is tapped”) and the beer can start being served.
Gemütlichkeit: one song more than any other will be with you in the tents and it goes like "ein prosit, ein prosit der Gemütlichkeit!" And Gemütlichkeit can be translated with a feeling of friendliness, warmth and good cheer.
What’s with the clothes?
The typical clothes (Tracht) are commonly used by locals and tourists these days. Though it hasn’t always been the case, as from the 1950s to 1990s it was very common to just go to the Wiesn in your standard clothes. Fashion now changed and Dirndl (for ladies) and Lederhosen (for gentlemen) saw a comeback. Today is ok not to wear Tracht, but in our view wearing them makes you feel more part of the place.
Is there any parade?
Yes, in fact there are two. The first one is on the opening Saturday, it lasts just 45 minutes and involves around 1,000 participants. The “big” parade is the next day, on the first Sunday, it lasts hours and it entertains people from the north part of the city all the way to the Wiesn for around 7 km and around 9,000 performers participate.
How does it start?
Oktoberfact number 7 is of very high importance! In the opening day the gates open at 09:00 and people flood into the tents, trying to secure one of the free tables. Surprise surprise up until noon (only on the first day though) no beer is served. At 12:00 the mayor of Munich taps the first beer in the Schottenhamel tent in a traditional ceremony started in 1950 and officially opens the Oktoberfest saying "O'zapf is!". Similar ceremonies are held in each of the tents, eager to start serving beers.
Is there any difference among the tents?
Yes!!! There are definitely noteworthy differences among the many tents! To start with there are 17 big tents and 21 small tents. The small ones offer a variety of complementary food and drinks, and range from cozy cafes (Bodo’s, Rischart), to chicken (Ammer) and duck (Heimer) and even fish restaurants (Fisch-Bäda), but the range of places goes much beyond this.
As for the 17 big tents, the music, the atmosphere and even the food, everything is planned for a different audience. This way you can have more traditional tents (Ochsenbraterei, Festzelt Tradition), more touristy and party ones (Hofbräu-Festzelt, Hacker-Festzelt, Lowenbräu-Festzelt, Paulaner-Festzelt).
What about the beer?
Only breweries from Munich are allowed to serve beers at the Wiesn. Today there are six breweries from Munich proudly presenting their Oktoberfest beer (a special edition, done only for the Oktoberfest): Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Lowenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten.
Augustiner is the oldest still active brewery.
Hacker-Pschorr generated from a marriage merging the Hacker and Pschorr familiesò its glass bottle opens with the traditional “Plopp”.
As for Hofbräu, you have probably heard of home, the Hofbräuhaus, one of the main attractions of Munich’s city center. Curiously it has been run as a state-owned enterprise since 1939.
Lowenbräu (as well as Spaten) is owned by the multinational beverage group InBev and has the Bavarian lion as its brand logo.
Paulaner was first brewed by monks originally from Paola, Italy (hence the name) that after roaming through France and Germany, settled in Munich. The beer is the most popular at the Wiesn and you can find it in 8 tents.
Last but not least, Spaten! Who deserves credit for having been the first to brew the now bestseller Münchner Hell (Munich Pale).
What are the main amusement rides?
Oktoberfest goes hand in hand with beer. Though as you already understood, there is much more than that. A lot of attractions, rides, ferris wheels and roller coasters are built each year next to the tents and are part of the Oktoberfest charm.
Among the most iconic ones, are many swing carousels (at different heights) the panoramic ferris wheel (a true symbol of the Oktoberfest), the Olympia Looping (the largest transportable roller coaster in the world), the Alpina Bahn (another crazy roller coaster) and the Münchner Rutschn, a giant 55-meter long slide.
Oktoberfest also features two very special attractions. One is the Toboggan: amazing to watch just as much as it is to do it yourself. Trying to climb up the conveyor belt can prove to be tough, especially if that comes after a few beers ;) watching it is some real fun! Another very famous one is the Teufelsrad (Devil’s wheel), a real must! In a small arena, a large wooden disc is the stage of this wonderful attraction. People are invited to join the stage in groups (children, girls, policemen, grown men and so on) and once they all have a place on the disc, it starts spinning around faster and faster until no one is there anymore. Or if someone still resists, lazos or a ball are thrown in to clear the disc ;)
Are there any special days?
Yes, there are! Tuesdays host Family Day until 7 p.m. with many discounts for children and families. Also the first Sunday is Gay-Sunday in the Bräurosl tent, celebrating diversity.
Now you got it all! It’s time to move from theory to practice and go to the Wiesn!!!! Prost!!!
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