Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich. It usually starts in late September and runs to early October. The the Oktoberfest is one of the most famous events in Germany. It is also the largest fair in the world, with up to some six million people attending every year. The the Oktoberfest became an important part of Bavarian culture and a very popular tourist attraction. There are even some other cities across the world that also hold the Oktoberfest-like celebrations, modeled after the Munich event. The Munich the Oktoberfest is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.
Those who visit the the Oktoberfest have an opportunity to enjoy huge amounts of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstel (sausages) along with Brezel (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage).

History

An Oktoberfest tent

Traditional brass music player

The original Oktoberfest was held in Munich, on October 18, 1810. To commemorate their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen organized a great horse race on October 17. In 1812, the Oktoberfest was cancelled since Bavaria was involved in the Napoleonic war. In 1816, carnival booths appeared. In 1819, the citizens of Munich assumed responsibility over festival management. It was agreed that the Oktoberfest would be celebrated every year without exception. It was later decided for the festival to be lengthened and its date pushed forward. This happened because of relatively high temperatures and good weather at the end of September in Bavaria which stimulate the thirst of the visitors.
A parade in honour of the marriage of King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria took place for the first time in 1835. Since 1850, this has become an annual event. It is also an important component of the the Oktoberfest with 8,000 people in traditional costumes walking from Maximilian Street, through the centre of Munich, to the the Oktoberfest. The statue of Bavaria, constructed by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand von Miller, has watched the the Oktoberfest since 1850. The Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was finished in 1853. In 1854, since 3,000 residents of Munich succumbed to an epidemic of cholera, the festival was cancelled. There was no the Oktoberfest in 1866 either since Bavaria fought in the Austro-Prussian War. Another cancellation of the festivities occurred in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war. In 1873, the festival was again cancelled due to another cholera epidemic.
In 1880, over 400 booths and tents was illuminated with electric light. In 1881, booths selling bratwursts opened, whereas beer in glass mugs was first served in 1892. A re-organization of the Oktoberfest took place at the end of the 19th century. The Entry of the the Oktoberfest Staff and Breweries took place in the Oktoberfest for the first time in 1887. This event features splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries and the bands that play in the festival tents. This event always takes place on the first Saturday of the Oktoberfest and symbolises the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration.
120,000 litres of beer were poured in 1910, the 100th anniversary of the Oktoberfest. In 1913, the Bräurosl, the largest tent of the Oktoberfest of all time, was founded. The Bräurosl had room for about 12,000 guests (today, the biggest tent is the Hofbräu-Festhalle, holding 10,000).
World War I, from 1914 to 1918, prevented the celebration of the Oktoberfest. In 1919 and 1920, Munich celebrated only an "Autumn Fest", while in 1923 and 1924, there was no Oktoberfest being held due to inflation.
In 1933, the Bavarian white and blue flag was replaced with the swastika flag. As did World War I prevented the Oktoberfest, so did World War II, between 1939 and 1945. From 1946 to 1948, another "Autumn Fest" was held only serving  beer that had an alcohol content under 2%. Since its beginnings the the Oktoberfest has been cancelled 24 times due to war, disease and other emergencies.
The traditional festival opening has been in use since 1950. It features a twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of the Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the incumbent Mayor of Munich with the cry "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!" in the Austro-Bavarian dialect). By 1960, the the Oktoberfest had turned into a world-famous festival. Horse races ended in 1960.

Oktoberfest today

A waitress at the Oktoberfest

Every year, there are growing problems with mostly young people who overestimate their ability to handle alcohol, large amounts of it. So, many of them pass out due to drunkenness and get nicknamed "Bierleichen" (German for "beer corpses"). Luckily, there are more than enough medics who treat these "patients" in a medical tent together with the sick people.
In order to open up the the Oktoberfest to older people and families, in 2005, the concept of the "quiet Oktoberfest" was developed. This "quiet Oktoberfest" features only quiet music in tents until 6 pm and is limited to 85 decibels. These measures were introduced becuase loud music was often followed with violence in earlier renditions of the Oktoberfest.
Since the introduction of a new law banning smoking in all enclosed spaces that are open to the public in 2008, there has been some issues raised concerning smoking and the Oktoberfest. It has been decided that Oktoberfest tents are to be the big exception in that law. However, it is up to the owners of the tents whether they will create noon-smoking areas or disallow smoking until some later time in the evening.

Facts & figures

Today, the Oktoberfest is known as the Largest People's Fair in the World. 6 and a half million people visited the Oktoberfest in, with 72% of the people were from Bavaria, and 15% of visitors came from foreign countries.
The Theresienwiese is used as the location of not only the Oktoberfest, but for other public festivals, such as the Munich Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) in April/May and Winter Tollwood in December.
As much as 1,000 tons of refuse result from the Oktoberfest each year. The cleaning of literally mountains of waist is paid for in part by the city of Munich and in part by the sponsors.
In 2004, the queues for toilets were so long that the police had to regulate the traffic through the restrooms. So men who needed to relieve themselves were directed to the "Pissoir" (giant enclosed grate). This resulted in increase in the number of toilets in 2005 by 20%. Today there are some 1,800 toilets and urinals available.
There are currently fourteen main tents at the the Oktoberfest, which are constructed for and only used during the festival. Each tent belongs to a brewery whose beer is served in that tent.

Tents

A richly decorated Oktoberfest tent

     Hippodrom — one of the smaller tents and the first tent that many visitors see at the fest. With Wiesn beer being served, it has a Sekt (sparkling wine) bar and Maß  of Weißbier. Considered one of the trendiest tents, attracting some celebrities.
     Armbrustschützenzelt — the "Crossbow Shooters Tent", a competition that has been a part of the the Oktoberfest since 1895.
     Hofbräu-Festzelt — the counterpart to the famous Hofbräuhaus. This tent is especially popular with Americans, Australians and New Zealanders.
     Hacker-Festzelt — one of the largest tents on the Wiesn, with a rock band that plays from 5:30 each evening.
     Schottenhamel — considered the most important tent at the the Oktoberfest, mainly because it is where the fest starts. It is very popular amongst younger people.
     Winzerer Fähndl — it is noted for its huge tower, with a Maß of Paulaner beer sitting atop it.
     Schützen-Festhalle — a mid-sized tent, situated under the Bavaria statue.
     Käfers Wiesen Schänke — the smallest tent at the the Oktoberfest. Often visited by celebrities, and is known for its especially good food.
     Weinzelt — it offers a selection of more than 15 wines, as well as Weißbier.
     Löwenbräu-Festhalle — known for a 4,5 m lion above the entrance.
     Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr) — this tent has the usual brass band and a yodeler.
     Augustiner-Festhalle — considered by many locals to be the best tent, because it sells the favourite local brew, Augustiner.
     Ochsenbraterei — this tent offers a great variety of ox dishes.
     Fischer Vroni — one of the smaller tents, carries a huge selection in its menu.

Souvenirs

The famous Oktoberfest beer mugs (1-litre-Steins, Maßkrug in German) are made from heavy glass. These mugs usually feature a decorative brewery logo on the side, and because of that they are very popular souvenirs among visitors. Since it is strictly forbidden to steal the mugs, they can be purchased in the tents. If the police catch someone stealing a mug, they may be fined up to €50. There is also a general Oktoberfest souvenir mug featuring the Oktoberfest poster of the year it is being held in. This one is made of clay instead of glass and is available with a pewter lid.