Munich's "Oktoberfest" - 18th Sep to 4th Oct 2010

In 2010 the Munich Oktoberfest, the world's biggest folk festival, is turning 200 years old.

To mark this year's special occasion local citizens and visitors from all over the world are expected to celebrate the Oktoberfest bicentenary like never before, additionally the Munich Oktoberfest is set to offer something different and unusual this year: alongside its normal attractions, like high-tech rides and 13 enormous beer tents, a special program has been arranged with nostalgic merry-go rounds and traditional Bavarian folk singing and dancing, including as you would expect some knuckle slap dancing performances and Bavarian oompah bands.

Visitors can also put their balance to the test on old-time bicycles at the Velodrome. Historical fairground rides including the Trip to Paradise from 1939 and the Calypso Carousel from the 1950s should evoke a romance of bygone days.

Normally the Oktoberfest is open for 16 days, usually finishing on the first Sunday in October, this year the Oktoberfest has been extended by an extra Monday and a special preview day on Friday (one day before the 18th Sep).

When the Oktoberfest officially opens its doors on the first Saturday (18th Sep), all the brewers and publicans march in procession, through the town centre to the "Theresienwiese", accompanied by gaily decked carts and brewers' drays, drawn by teams of hefty dray horses. To keep the ancient procession authentic no motorised vehicles are tolerated in this procession.

Punctually at 12 noon on the opening day the Lord Mayor of Munich ceremonially taps the first barrel of "Wies`n" beer in one of the huge beer tents, as twelve salvoes are fired from small cannons situated on the Theresienhoehe.

On the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest a 3-mile long Procession makes its way through the town centre to the "Wies`n" giving marksmen and others the opportunity to show off their regional costumes, accompanied are many bands in gala uniforms and some 100 groups of men and women in traditional costumes, not to mention hundreds of other participants from abroad.

During the Munich Oktoberfest strong, dark "Wies`n" beer is sold by all the large Munich breweries.

With so many small and huge tents to choose from at the Oktoberfest, visitors can also enjoy a great variety of irresistible Bavarian food including fresh river fish from Fischer-Vroni or oxen while you watch the oxen being roasted on the spit at the hippodrome, the crossbowmen's marquee or the marksmen's marquee. There are also many places where chickens are being roasted served and you won't have to go far to find plenty of snack bars, chip shops and coffee house marquees.

In the past, during the 16-17 days of merry-making, about one million fried "bangers", over half a million roast chickens, some 78.000 roast knuckles of pork and countless portions of succulent meat from 53 roast oxen are consumed and washed down by about 3 million litres of that delicious strong beer. In fact the Oktoberfest in Munich can attract so many visitors from abroad that the event can truly be described as a Festival of Nations.

To add to the Oktoberfest unique entertainment there are well over 50 fair-ground establishments including the traditional shooting booths, roundabout swings, side-shows, pony-riding rings and some entertainment facilities are even reserved exclusively for families and younger children.

Officially the enormous fair ground is called the "Theresienwiese" after Princess Therese, locals have shortened the name to the "Wies`n ", amazingly The roads through the "Wies`n "can be as long as 3 to 4 miles.

The Oktoberfest was born in 1810 when horse races and other popular entertainments were used to celebrate the wedding between the Crown Prince of Bavaria, who later became King Ludwig, Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

Traditionally the Oktoberfest was a harvest festival, celebrated at around the same time of the year, but over the last 200 years or so it quickly grew into the World's largest folk and beer festival. Historically the Munich Oktoberfest has only been cancelled 24 times in the last two centenaries, either due to war or to medieval cholera epidemics.

As Bavaria's national festival of fun it is also known throughout the whole world as the undisputed leader of traditional beer and folk festivals.

Further Information:

Munich Tourist Information
Sendlinger Strasse 1
80331 München 
Tel: 0049 89 2330300
Email: [email protected]