This year Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany was from Sept. 18-Oct. 3. Unlike the name, most of the celebration of Oktoberfest is in September. That is the month that the town I live in — Addison, Texas — also has its own Oktoberfest festival. Addison is known for its special events like Kaboom Town, a nationally recognized fireworks and vintage aircraft show, Taste of Addison, a 30-year tradition of showcasing food from the town’s nearly 200 restaurants, and Oktoberfest, another 30-year tradition. This year the celebration included fun games like Biergarten Bingo, Bier Maiden Stein Carrying (competition to see how many filled beer steins a maiden can carry without spilling them) and Masskrugstemmen where men hold a one-liter filled stein at shoulder level for as long as they can plus the popular Sunday Hund-Day where participants bring their own dachshunds to race against each other and a new event, German Dog Showcase featuring the dozens of dog breeds that originated in Germany. In addition, there is bratwurst, sausage, spätzle, German skillet potatoes, German-style fritters, strudel and lots of beer. Attendees often dress up in lederhosen, including the dachshunds! The crowd flocks to listen to oompah bands and do the Chicken Dance. It is a lot of fun. Let’s find out about the original festival in Munich.
According to Wikipedia, Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest or beer festival and traveling fun fair. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or late September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is called d’Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.
During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed. During the 16-day festival in 2013, for example, 7.7 million liters or 66,000 U.S. barrels were served. Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods available.
The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place in the 16-day period leading up to the first Sunday in October. In 1994, this longstanding schedule was modified in response to German reunification. As such, if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival would run until October 3 or German Unity Day. Thus, the festival now runs for 17 days when the first Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. In 2010, the festival lasted until the first Monday in October — October 4 — to mark the event's bicentennial.
History
Kronprinz Ludwig (1786–1868) — later King Ludwig I (reign: 1825–1848) — married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the royal event. The fields were named Theresienwiese or "Theresa's Meadow" in honor of the Crown Princess, and have kept that name ever since, although the locals have abbreviated the name simply to Wiesn. Horse races — in the tradition of the 15th-century Scharlachrennen or Scarlet Race at Karlstor — were held on October 18 to honor the newlyweds. It is widely believed that Andreas Michael Dall'Armi, a major in the National Guard, proposed the idea. However, the origins of the horse races and Oktoberfest itself may have stemmed from proposals offered by Franz Baumgartner, a coachman and sergeant in the National Guard. The precise origins of the festival and horse races remain a matter of controversy. However, the decision to repeat the horse races, spectacle and celebrations in 1811 launched what is now the annual Oktoberfest tradition.
The fairgrounds, once outside the city, was chosen due to its natural suitability. Sendlinger Hill — today Theresienhohe — was used as a grandstand for 40,000 race spectators. The festival grounds remained undeveloped, except for the king's tent. The tastings of "Traiteurs" and other wine and beer took place above the visitors in the stands on the hill. Before the race started, a performance was held in homage of the bridegroom and of the royal family in the form of a train of 16 pairs of children dressed in Wittelsbach costumes, and costumes from the nine Bavarian townships and other regions. This parade was followed by the punishing race with 30 horses on an 11,200-foot-long racetrack and concluded with the singing of a student choir. The first horse to cross the finish line belonged to Franz Baumgartner, one of the purported festival initiators. Horse racing champion and Minister of State Maximilian von Montgelas presented Baumgartner with his gold medal.
19th century
In 1811, a show was added to promote Bavarian agriculture. In 1813, the festival was canceled due to the involvement of Bavaria in the Napoleonic Wars, after which the Oktoberfest grew from year to year. The horse races were accompanied by tree climbing, bowling alleys and swings, along with other attractions. In 1818, carnival booths appeared; the main prizes awarded were of silver, porcelain and jewelry. The city fathers assumed responsibility for festival management in 1819, and it was decided that Oktoberfest become an annual event. In 1832, the date was moved some weeks later, as a Greek delegation came. It inspired them for the Zappas Olympics which became in 1896 the modern Olympic Games. Later, Oktoberfest was lengthened and the date pushed forward because days are longer and warmer at the end of September. The horse race continued until 1960, and the agricultural show still exists today and is held every four years in the southern part of the festival grounds.
To honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, a parade took place for the first time in 1810. Since 1850, the parade has become an annual event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. Eight thousand people — mostly from Bavaria — and dressed in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street through the center of Munich to the Oktoberfest grounds. The march is led by the Münchner Kindl.
Since 1850, the statue of Bavaria has watched over the Oktoberfest. This worldly Bavarian patron was first sketched by Leo von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticized and Germanized the draft. The statue was constructed by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand von Miller.
In 1853, the Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was completed. In 1854, the festival was cancelled after 3,000 residents of Munich including the queen consort died during a cholera epidemic. There was no Oktoberfest in 1866 because Bavaria was involved in the Austro-Prussian War. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War again forced the cancellation of the festival. In 1873, the festival was cancelled due to yet another cholera epidemic. In 1880, electric light illuminated more than 400 booths and tents. In 1881, booths selling Bratwurst opened and the first beer was served in glass mugs in 1892.
At the end of the 19th century, a reorganization took place. Until then, there were games of skittles, large dance floors and trees for climbing in the beer booths. Organizers wanted more room for guests and musicians which resulted in the booths becoming beer halls which are still used today.
In 1887, the parade of the Oktoberfest staff and breweries took place for the first time. This event showcases the 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 serves as the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration.
20th century
At the 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest in 1910, an estimated 120,000 liters of beer were consumed. Three years later, the Bräurosl was founded, which at that time was the largest pavilion to have ever been built, accommodating approximately 12,000 people.
Due to World War I, Oktoberfest was temporarily suspended from 1914 to 1918. The two years after the war, in 1919 and 1920, Oktoberfest was replaced by the so-called kleineres Herbstfest — which can be translated as "smaller autumn celebration," and in 1923 and 1924 Oktoberfest was cancelled due to hyperinflation.
During national socialism, Oktoberfest was used as part of Nazi propaganda. In 1933, Jews were forbidden to work on the Wiesn. Two years later, Oktoberfest's 125th anniversary was celebrated with all the frills. The main event was a big parade.
The slogan “proud city—cheerful country” was meant to show the alleged overcoming of differences between social classes and can be seen as an example of the regime's consolidation of power. In 1938, after Hitler had annexed Austria and won the Sudetenland via the Munich Agreement, Oktoberfest was renamed to Großdeutsches Volksfest — Greater German folk festival — and as a showing of strength, the Nazi regime transported people from Sudetenland to the Wiesn by the score.
During World War II, from 1939 to 1945, no Oktoberfest was celebrated. Following the war, from 1946 to 1948, Munich celebrated only the "Autumn Fest." The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer—2% stronger in gravity than normal beer—was not permitted; guests could only drink normal beer. Since its foundation, there have been 26 years in which it was declined.
Beginning in 1950, the festival has always been opened with the same traditional procedure: At noon, a 12-gun salute is followed by the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the mayor of Munich with the proclamation "O'zapft is!" — "It's tapped!" in the Austro-Bavarian dialect. The mayor then gives the first liter of beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. The first mayor to tap a keg was Thomas Wimmer.
Before the festival officially starts, parades are held with the traditional marksmen's clubs, beer-tent waitresses and landlords participating. There are two different parades which both end at the Theresienwiese. They start around 9:45 a.m. to 10.50 am.
During Oktoberfest, some locals wear Bavarian hats or Tirolerhüte, which contain a tuft of chamois hair or gamsbart. Historically, in Bavaria chamois hair was highly valued and prized. The more tufts of chamois hair on one's hat, the wealthier one was considered to be. Due to modern technology, this tradition has declined with the appearance of chamois hair imitations on the market.
For medical treatment of visitors, the Bavarian branch of the German Red Cross operates an aid facility and provides emergency medical care on the festival grounds, staffed with around 100 volunteer medics and doctors per day.
They serve together with special detachments of Munich police, the fire department and other municipal authorities in the service center at the Behördenhof or authorities' court, a large building specially built for the Oktoberfest at the east side of the Theresienwiese, just behind the tents. There is also a station for lost and found children, a lost property office, a security point for women and other public services.
Since the 1970s, local German gay organizations have organized "Gay Days" at Oktoberfest, which since the 21st century always begin in the Bräurosl tent on the first Sunday.
1980 bombing
A pipe bomb was set off in a dustbin near the toilets at the main entrance on September 26, 1980 at 22:19. The bomb consisted of an empty fire extinguisher filled with 1.39 kilograms of TNT and mortar shells. Thirteen people were killed and over 225 were injured, 68 seriously.
It is the second-deadliest terrorist attack in the history of Germany, after the Munich massacre, an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, who took nine members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage, after killing two more.
Governmental authorities initiated numerous official inquiries, concluding that a right-wing extremist, Gundolf Köhler from Donaueschingen, a social outcast who was killed in the explosion, was the sole perpetrator. However, both this account and the number of perpetrators are strongly disputed by various groups.
Oktoberfest today
To keep Oktoberfest — and especially the beer tents — amicable for the elderly and families, the concept of the "quiet Oktoberfest" was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 pm, the orchestras in the tents only play brass music e.g., traditional folk music. Only after that may Schlager pop or electric music be played, which had led to excessively raucous behavior in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 decibels. With these rules, the organizers of Oktoberfest were able to curb the tumultuous party mentality and preserve the traditional beer-tent atmosphere.
In 2005 Germany's last traveling enterprise amusement ride, the Mondlift, returned to Oktoberfest.
Starting in 2008, a new Bavarian law was passed to ban smoking in all enclosed spaces open to the public. Because of problems enforcing the anti-smoking law in the big tents, an exception was granted to Oktoberfest in 2008, although the sale of tobacco was not allowed. After heavy losses in the 2008 local elections with the smoking ban being a big issue in political debates, the state's ruling party implemented general exemptions to beer tents and small pubs.
The change in regulations was aimed in particular to benefit the large tents of the Oktoberfest: smoking in the tents is still legal, but the tents usually have non-smoking areas. The sale of tobacco in the tents is now legal but is widely boycotted by mutual agreement. However, in early 2010, a referendum held in Bavaria as a result of a popular initiative re-instituted the original, strict, smoking ban of 2008; thus, no beer will be sold to people caught smoking in the tents.
The blanket smoking ban did not take effect until 2011, but all tents instituted the smoking ban in 2010 to do a "dry run" to identify any unforeseeable issues.
The year 2010 marked the Oktoberfest Bicentennial. For the anniversary, a horse race in historical costumes was held on opening day. A so-called historische Wiesn or historical Oktoberfest took place, starting one day earlier than usual on the southern part of the festival grounds. A specially brewed beer — solely available at the tents of the historical Oktoberfest, horse races and a museum tent gave visitors an impression of how the event felt two centuries ago.
In 2013, 6.4 million people visited Oktoberfest, and visitors were served 6.7 million liters of beer.
On April 21, 2020, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder and the mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, announced the official cancellation of the 2020 Oktoberfest due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. On May 3, 2021, Minister-President Söder and Mayor Reiter announced that the Oktoberfest hiatus will be extended, deferring the next one to 2022. Söder noted the unfeasibility of social distancing in the festival's beer tents, adding, "Imagine there was a new wave, and it then became a super-spreader event. The brand would be damaged forever, and we don't want that."
Oide Wiesn – Bavarian for Old Fairground
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary in 2010 a so-called Historisches Oktoberfest or Historical Oktoberfest was designed on the site of the Central Agricultural Festival at the south end of the Theresienwiese. It opened one day before the official Oktoberfest with the traditional keg tapping by the Lord Mayor.
The comprehensive five acres of fenced grounds presented historic rides, beer tents and other historical attractions such as a Steckerlfisch grilling, a chain swing and a cotton candy stand. Included in the price of admission, an animal tent and the racecourse could be visited next to the museum.
The animal tent included, among other things, a petting zoo and was managed by the Hellabrunn Zoo and the Bavarian Farmers Association. The Munich Stadtmuseum took over the design of the museum tent. The Oktoberfest anniversary was accompanied by an artistic and cultural program, in which biermösl blosn or local entertainers performed.
The bands performing in the relatively small Herzkasperl Festzelt — offering 850 seats — had to do without electrical amplification.
The fest-tent name derives from a famous stage character of the actor Jörg Hube, who died in 2009.
The six main Munich breweries Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten presented a special exclusively brewed dark beer, which was made after a historic recipe from the early 19th century.
The beer mugs in the beer tents did not have the company logo of the breweries, but rather the inscription "Munich beer." Unlike the usual Oktoberfest, the Historic Wiesn closed at 8 pm. Instead of the 300,000 guests estimated by the city council, well over half a million visitors came. The festival site had to be temporarily closed several times due to overcrowding.
According to the Munich City Council decision on October 16, 2012, the entry fee for the Historical Oktoberfest — now called Oide Wiesn which is Bavarian for "old fairground" — in 2013 was to be three euros again. For the first time a re-entry was possible with the tickets. The historic rides in 2013 required a 1 Euro fee.
Other changes made at that Munich City Council meeting were that the musicians' tent increased the number of indoor seats from 1000 to 1,500. Outside tent seating increased from 800 to 1,000. They also supported the Showman Foundation with a contribution of €200,000, so it could run a museum tent and a velodrome, as well as a children's program. Also in 2013, the total festival area was enlarged and attractive entrances were added.
Rosa Wiesn or Gay Oktoberfest
Rosa Wiesn — also known as Gay Oktoberfest — refers to a number of annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT events which take place throughout the Oktoberfest period in Munich. The main feature event is in the Bräurosl (Hacker-Pschorr) tent on the first Sunday and is sometimes called “Gay Sunday.” Other events take place throughout the weeks of the festival with some requiring a pre-booking. These include meet and greets, Lion's night or Löwennacht, brunches and cultural programs.
The tradition of Rosa Wiesn traces its origins to the 1970s when friends of the Munich Lion's Club — MLC or Münchner Löwen Club, a leather and fetish society — first booked the balcony at the Bräurosl festival tent and were mistaken to have been a football club, however the group was welcomed by the owners and waiters who enjoyed having them, and so the meetup became an annual event. Rosa Wiesn is now one of the major events in the LGBT calendar in Germany with Gay Sunday alone attracting over 8,000 LGBT festival-goers. It is now the second-biggest LGBT event to take place after Christopher Street Day.
Entry of the restaurateurs and brewers
The story of the entry of the Oktoberfest restaurateurs and breweries for the opening of the Oktoberfest began in 1887, when the then manager, Hans Steyrer, first marched from his meadow to the Tegernseer Landstraße with his staff, a brass band and a load of beer to the Theresienwiese.
In its current form, the parade has taken place since 1935, where all the breweries first took part.
Since then, the parade is led by the Münchner Kindl, followed by the incumbent mayor of Munich in the Schottenhammel family carriage since 1950. It is followed by the decorated horse carriages and floats of the breweries and the carriages of the other restaurateurs and showmen. The music bands from the beer tents accompany the parade.
Beer barrel tapping
After the parade of the restaurateurs on carriages from downtown to the festival grounds, at exactly 12:00 clock the lord mayor opens the first beer barrel in the Schottenhammel tent. With the initial pass and the Bavarian exclamation, "O'zapft is!" (es ist angezapft—It has been tapped!) the Oktoberfest is declared opened.
Twelve gunshots are then fired on the stairway of Ruhmeshalle. This is the signal for the other restaurateurs to start with the serving of beer. Traditionally, the Bavarian Minister-President is served the first liter of beer. Then in the other tents, the first barrels are tapped, and beer is served to the visitors.
Every year, visitors eagerly await to see how many strokes the mayor needs to use before the first beer flows. Bets are even made. The best performance is still two strokes by Christian Ude and Dieter Reiter and also there was 19 strokes required by Thomas Wimmer in 1950.
Costume and riflemen parade
In honor of the silver wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese, a traditional costume parade took place in 1835 for the first time. In 1895, the Bavarian novelist Maximilian Schmidt organized another parade with 1,400 participants in 150 traditional costume groups. Another parade was organized for the 100th anniversary celebrations in 1910 by Julius and Moritz Wallach, promoters of the Dirndl and Lederhosen as fashion.
From 1950 to 2019 and resuming in 2022, this parade is organized annually and has become one of the highlights of the Oktoberfest and one of the world's largest parades of its kind. On the first festival Sunday, 8,000 participants march in the parade in their historic festival costumes from the Maximilianeum on a seven-kilometer stretch to the festival grounds.
This parade is also led by the Münchner Kindl, followed by notables of the city council and the city administration and the state of Bavaria — usually the minister-president and his wife, traditional costume and rifle clubs, musical bands, marching bands, flag-wavers and about 40 carriages with decorated horses and carts. The clubs and groups come mostly out of Bavaria, but also from other German states, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy and other European countries. The entry of the wiesnwirte or innkeepers and the traditional costume and marksmen procession is organized by the Festring München.
Beers
Only beer conforming to the Reinheitsgebot — series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany and the states of the former Holy Roman Empire — and brewed within the city limits of Munich can be served at the Munich Oktoberfest.
Beers meeting these criteria are designated Oktoberfest Beer although the name “Oktoberfest beer” also denotes two distinct beer styles: a traditional Märzen lager and a paler Festbier that is now more commonly served at Oktoberfest itself.
The breweries that can produce Oktoberfest beer under the aforementioned criteria are:
- Löwenbräu.
- Paulaner.
- Spatenbräu.
- Staatliches Hofbräu-München.
Oktoberfest Beer is a registered trademark of the Club of Munich Brewers, which consists of the above six breweries.
Other information
Experienced waiters need an average of only one and a half seconds to fill a Maß.
Letters which are placed in the Oktoberfest mailboxes receive a special stamp from the post office.
One attraction, which does not exist at other festivals, is the flea circus. It has been an attraction at the Wiesn since 1948, and a "team" of about 60 fleas provide for the entertainment especially for the children.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, in the same year, the traditional beer tapping was omitted, instead there was a contemplative celebration in Schottenhamel tent.
Since 2009, the Theresienwiese is closed off during the construction and dismantling of the festival. The city of Munich wants to prevent any accident to visitors at the construction site that the city would be accountable for.
In 2015, the festival officially served 7.3 million liters or 62,000 U.S. barrels of beer; for perspective, that is enough to fill nearly three Olympic-size swimming pools.
One famous song in a beer tent is "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" which translates to "A toast to cheer and good times." The band leader plays this song several times to invite the guests to toast and drink.
With the cancellation of the Oktoberfest since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, this is the first year that the Oktoberfest has not taken place since 1949.
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