Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is a grand-scale beer festival taking place in Munich on an annual basis. Entrance is free to the festival area and all beer tents; however, a reservation for the beer tents is advised but not mandatory. Due to the popularity of the festival, numbers can swell, causing an overflow of people, sometimes necessitating an early closing of some of the tents.

Oktoberfest runs from September to October. Because the original Oktoberfest took place in October, the festival maintained the name Oktoberfest, albeit its current September starting date.

Children who are below six years old are not permitted to be in the beer tents after 8 p.m., even if they are accompanied by an adult. Smoking is banned in the beer tents given the prohibition by law of smoking in public areas in Bavaria. Should this be contravened, the perpetrator may not be served and may also have to pay a fine.

Brief History

When Prince Ludwig, the crown prince of Bavaria, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, a festival was created to honor and celebrate the marriage. The festive celebrations began October 12, 1810. The event continued until October 17, culminating in a horse race to heighten the wedding atmosphere.

Oktoberfest became a regular annual event. Instead of the October start, the opening date was altered to September in deference to optimum weather. September is a warmer month, allowing for a pleasurable outside experience. People attending the festival are thus able to walk around, take in the scenic delights of the fields and gardens, while drinking beer and enjoying the camaraderie and setting. Rather than changing the name, Oktoberfest stuck as the festival title, not least of which because it still continues into October.

Following the first nuptial celebration, Oktoberfest expanded in various ways, including additional activities, events, and time. Originally a five-day celebration, it eventually became sixteen days. The second year included an agricultural show. Within a few years amusement-type structures and games were added, such as a carousel, swings, and competitive races and eating contests. Horse racing as a highlight terminated in 1960. The agricultural show later moved from an annual to an event every four years.

Beer drinking, when it became permissible in the space, inspired the proliferation of beer stands and eventually in 1896 the establishment of beer halls.

"Die Wiesn" is the locals’ name for the Oktoberfest festival. This derives from Theresienwiese, the forty-two hectare open space of land where the festival takes place. Theresienwiese itself honors Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Wiese and weisn are used to denote grassland per the German and Bavarian translation respectively. The place and the name connote Therese’s grassland space or meadow.

Although the festival has been running for more than two centuries, twenty-four occasions necessitated cancellations—the World Wars and outbreaks of cholera.

Oktoberfest Today

The 2015 Oktoberfest beer festival hosted 5.9 million guests comprising local inhabitants and outside visitors. Oktoberfest draws an international array of tourists from across the globe who converge on Munich for the sixteen festival days.

The notion of Oktoberfest has been emulated in countries beyond Germany, particularly where there is a large concentration of German residents. Canada’s Kitchener and Waterloo cities boast the largest similar Oktoberfest. In America, Ohio’s Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati is likewise celebrated on a big scale.

Munich will hold its 183rd Oktoberfest in 2016, beginning Saturday 17 September and running to 3 October. The opening ceremony occurs in the Schottenhamel tent where the Mayor of Munich initiates the festival by tapping the first beer keg at noon. Once the beer begins to flow, visitors are welcome to participate in the beer-drinking activities, continuing till 10:30 nightly. During the week, opening hours for beer drinking start at 10 a.m., whereas 9 a.m. is the earlier beginning time for weekends and holidays.

The festival also hosts a variety of stalls, fairground attractions, and sideshows. The sophistication and expanse of fairground delights reflect the twenty-first-century participants’ entertainment needs. While the drinking of beer marks the festival theme, guests are treated to rides on roller coasters or Ferris wheels, fun on water slides, or screeching through simulated haunted houses. Opening and closing hours vary, with some attractions operating until 11:30 p.m. or midnight.

An enormous quantity of food and beverages are consumed by the approximately six million festival goers. In 2015, 7.7 million liters of beer were consumed, and the meat of 114 oxen and fifty calves was eaten. Oktoberfest beer is a particular type, designed to be stronger than regular beer. This beer, named Marzen, is rigorously tested according to German beer standards and specifications and is supplied by only six official breweries. Food is primarily traditional German fare and includes sausages, sauerkraut, meats, pancakes, and dumplings.

Music pervades the festival atmosphere, particularly traditional German folk music. The culmination of music band festivities occurs in an open-air Oktoberfest music concert with all bands participating.

As a prelude to the opening ceremony by the mayor, the 2016 festival will begin with lavish horse-drawn carriages entering the grounds. This designates the arrival of the Oktoberfest landlords and their families and the breweries. Floats bearing beer-serving waitresses add to the display. The following day, Sunday, comprises the Oktoberfest Costume and Riflemen’s Parade of eight thousand performers.

The Oktoberfest is not without controversy regarding the inherent risk factors. The excessive consumption of beer and the adventure-type rides have resulted in hospitalizations and accidents. Alcohol poisoning and the risk of cardiac and other health-related issues are raised as significant factors of concern, in addition to exhaustion and sustaining injuries.

In 1980, Oktoberfest was subjected to a terrorist attack, when a bomb placed in a garbage can was detonated. The death toll was thirteen, with 219 people injured, many severely.

Bibliography

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