For the Oktoberfest style of beer, see Märzen

Oktoberfest is a two-week beer festival held each year in Munich (München), Bavaria, Germany, during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some 6 million people attending in 2002. Other cities across the world also hold fairs called Oktoberfest.

Description

Oktoberfest at night

The event takes place during the 16 days before the first Sunday in October on an area named the "Theresienwiese", and is called "die Wiesn" ("the meadow", in Bavarian dialect) for short. A special Oktoberfest beer is brewed for the occasion (see also Märzen), which is slightly darker and stronger, in both taste and alcohol. It is served in a one-liter-tankard called Maß (IPA: [ma:s]). Only local Munich breweries are allowed to serve this beer in so-called Bierzelte (beer "tents") which hold some 3,000–10,000 people.

Visitors also consume large quantities of food, most of it traditional hearty fare such as sausage, hendl (chicken) and sauerkraut, along with such Bavarian delicacies as roast ox tails.

History

The first Oktoberfest, held from October 12–October 17, 1810 in Munich, was a horse race on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen . Because of its success, it was repeated annually, later also with an agricultural fair, dance, music and amusement rides. Overall, the celebration had to be cancelled in 24 years, because of war, disease or other problems. Horse races ended in 1960.

On September 26, 1980, a bomb explosion near the entrance killed 13 visitors and injured 200 more. The bomb had been placed by a 21-year-old neo-nazi who died at the scene.

Dates of next events:

• 2005: September 17 to October 2
• 2006: September 16 to October 1
• 2007: September 22 to October 6
• 2008: September 20 to October 5
• 2009: September 19 to October 4
• 2010: September 18 to October 3
• 2011: September 17 to October 2

Oktoberfest in other cities

• The largest Oktoberfest outside Germany is held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, around the time of Canadian Thanksgiving; the twin cities have a large ethnic German population.
• Another large event is in Cincinnati, Ohio; over 500,000 people visited during the 2002 Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati .
• The psuedo-Bavarian village of Leavenworth, WA holds Oktoberfest during the first two weeks in October yearly.
• The city of New Braunfels, Texas also holds an Oktoberfest, as does Mount Angel, Oregon, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Panama City, Florida, and the Bavarian-reproduction town of Helen, Georgia.
• A huge Oktoberfest is held in the Brazilian city of Blumenau (more than 600,000 ppl in 2004), and many other Brazilian cities founded by Germans have their own Oktoberfest, such as Santa Cruz do Sul (more than 500,000 ppl in 2004), Rolândia , São José do Cedro , Seara and Itapiranga .
• In Argentina, a town called Villa General Belgrano in the Córdoba Province has an Oktoberfest that is well-known and the biggest in the country.
• Hong Kong has celebrated the Oktoberfest since 1991 and it is organized by the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel .
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has celebrated Oktoberfest since 1992 and it is held at the Hotel Equatorial .

Many other places have beer festivals, but generally reserve the name "Oktoberfest" for the Munich event. Due to a joke on The Simpsons there is now a Scottish version called Scotchtoberfest.

External links

• The official Oktoberfest website
• Hofbräu Oktoberfest Beertent
• Photos
• Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest
• Official site of the Brazilian Oktoberfest
• Oktoberfest in Helen
• Lancaster Liederkranz
• Oktoberfest in Leavenworth Washington
• Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati