Oktoberfest is an annual festival in Munich, Germany, held over a two-week period and ending on the first Sunday in October. The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festival concluded five days later with a horse race held in an open area that came to be called Theresienwiese (“Therese’s green”). The following year the race was combined with a state agricultural fair, and in 1818 booths serving food and drink were introduced. By the late 20th century the booths had developed into large beer halls made of plywood, with interior balconies and bandstands. Each of the Munich brewers erects one of the temporary structures, with seating capacities of some 6,000. The mayor of Munich taps the first keg to open the festival. Total beer consumption during Oktoberfest is upwards of 75,800 hectolitres (about 2 million gallons). The breweries are also represented in parades that feature beer wagons and floats along with people in folk costumes. Other entertainment includes games, amusement rides, music, and dancing. Oktoberfest draws more than six million people each year, many of them tourists. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
America’s Oktoberfests are held between late September and early November and include traditions such as the beer gardens and dances that originated in Munich. In a nod to the horse races that once closed the festival, some U.S. Oktoberfests hold “wiener dog races.” (The loose connection is that Dachshunds were originally bred in Germany.)
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati claims America’s largest Oktoberfest and draws 800,000 people to Cincinnati each year. The Midwestern city, which in the 1850s was home to four German-language newspapers, serves up 80,000 bratwursts, 50,000 sausages and 3,600 pounds of sauerkraut during the late-September festival. Continue reading from Share America
The History of Oktoberfest (Munich Oktoberfest Official Website)
Everything You Need to Know About Oktoberfest (TIME Magazine)
Everything You Need to Know About Oktoberfest (Babbel)
What Exactly is Oktoberfest? (Clemson University)
Why is Oktoberfest in September? (Culinary Institute of America)
500 Years of the Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law (Wine Enthusiast)
The History of Beer at Oktoberfest (American Homebrewers Association)
Westoberfest Craft Beer & Fall Festival (Westport Downtown Association)
