It can trace it’s roots back almost two hundred years, a people’s party celebrating a royal wedding, lasting for more than three weeks, with almost six million of your closest friends consuming almost six million liters of some of the world’s finest beer.
Okay, I can hear some of you saying, “When do we leave?”
Soon!
Widely imitated, there truly is only one place for this event. Oktoberfest takes place every year in the fall in Munich, Germany.
Well, how did all this get started? Grab a mass krug (that’s a full liter!) of your favorite brew (and it better be one of the true Oktoberfest beers — I’ll explain in a bit), and set back to listen to this tale.
From the official web pages, “It all began with the wedding of the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig (later known as King Ludwig I) to princess Therese from Saxony-Hildburghausen (hence the name of the Theresienwiese or Therese’s green) on October 12, 1810. Five days later, the National Guard organized a large public horse race to ensure that the Bavarian folk could also partake in the wedding celebration. It was decided that the festival should be repeated at the same time the following year, which marked the birth of the “October-Festivals”.
In 1811, the Bavarians additionally celebrated an agricultural festival. In contrast to the horse race, this festival has held to this day. Every three years this “central agricultural festival” takes place on the southern part of the Theresienwiese.
The enormous entertainment spectrum today didn’t exist in the past: A couple of carousels and several beer stands were all at that time – the first beer tents started in 1896.
As Munich was considerably smaller in the past, the proprietors and event organizers went out to the Wiesn for the starting ceremonies. This tradition is still reflected today with the entry of the tent proprietors on Saturday morning in the parade.
The mayor Thomas Wimmer first started the well-known tradition of tapping the beer keg in the 1950s. The mayor taps the first keg on the first Wiesn-Saturday at exactly 12:00pm and calls out “O’zapft is’!” (which means the keg has been tapped). Since then, the mayor has always tapped the first keg.”
As far as beer goes, there are specific Munich brewers that produce the official Oktoberfest beer. Those are Spaten, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, HB (Hofbrau) and Augustiner. Following the letter of the famed Purity laws (Dating back to 1516), these companies produce their products much as they always have for this event. And when you think about how much beer this is (The number of kegs boggles the mind!), that’s quite an achievement, year after year. Almost worth celebrating all on it’s own…
Known as Marzen (the brewing process begins in March and concludes with it being served at Oktoberfest), it is a good amber in color and goes down smoothly. Okay, so this is the voice of experience speaking. We visited in 2001, (Thursday, September 27th, and Friday, the 28th). Starting off our day at about one in the afternoon, we began with a visit to our first tent. Tents are the place for entertainment for almost any taste. The 14 tents aren’t what you might think. These are errected on the Theresienwiese and are works of art all their own. With kitchens producing food, washing glassware, plates and utensils; restrooms for men and women; seating for thousands inside and out; storage and service areas for all that beer; entertainment platforms; souvenir shops, and offices… these are not small canvas affairs by any means.
Our first tent was the Augustiner-Braeu. We enjoyed a nice traditional lunch of bratwurst, sauerkraut and bread, all complimented by a mass krug of their Oktoberfest “bier”. Here’s a review by an impartial source, the Beer Advocate. Note those first two lines: “Munich residents generally consider Augustiner to be the best of their 6 major Breweries. Hard to disagree too much after quaffing a Mass or 2 of this on tap at the Fest!” No argument on that from this consumer…
From there, we ventured off to visit some of the other tents and explore the shopping potential. (Yes, I was seduced by pins and managed to keep it down to only five of them for the various brewers. Missing only the one from Hacker-Pschorr…)
Our next tent was Ochsenbraterei. We sat and enjoyed another mass krug — this time, Spaten’s Oktoberfest — while listening to the traditional brass band (without amplifiers!). Had we wished, we could have enjoyed some of the fine roasted ox being served here. But we were still full from the Augustiner tent, and simply shared a giant pretzel among the four of us.
Finishing up the day, we ventured to the Lowenbraeu tent. Now if you come in here expecting a frosty mug of Lowenbrau like you might have at home, are you in for a surprise! But by the time we got here, we were just plain full of good German “bier”. So instead of each getting another mass krug, the four of us shared one and another pretzel. As it was getting late into the afternoon, we were reminded that the table was reserved for the evening and that we could only sit here for another half an hour.
If you’re planning to make this trip, that’s a point to remember. All of the tents take reservations for the evenings. Save your place and spend a night enjoying the good music, food, “bier” and friends. Check the web pages for the various tents for more details.
As much as we had enjoyed our “bier” that afternoon, I don’t think we had over imbibed. Walking around the grounds was good exercise. So much so that we went across the street into a small restaurant and decided to have dinner, with what else? More “bier”!
But beer is not only thing involved here. A number of traditional events also are part of the festivities. Again from the official pages:
“Parade of the Tent Proprietors
When: Saturday, September 20, 2003, 10:45 am
Start: Sonnenstraße
Length: ca. 1 hour
Description: The Wiesn-Parade marks the festive start of the Oktoberfest. It has a very long tradition with the first parade in 1887.
The Munich Kindl (played by a young woman) leads the parade on horseback, with the mayor of Munich and governor of Bavaria directly behind in a festively decorated horse drawn coach. They are followed by a colorful mixture of proprietor families, decorated carriages, magnificent teams of oxen/horses from the Munich breweries, waitresses/waiters on decorated wagons and all of the Oktoberfest bands.
You do not need an entry ticket for the parade of the proprietors!
The path the parade will take is marked on our Oktoberfest map.
Folklore Parade
When: Sunday, September 21, 2003, 10 am
Start: Maximilianstraße
Length: ca. 2,5 hours
Description: Held for the first time in 1835 in honor of the silver wedding of King Ludwig I. and Therese of Bavaria, this procession of national costumes has been taking place regularly since 1950 and turned into an outstanding Oktoberfest event. The German ARD public TV channel broadcasts it live all over the world.
Approximately 8,000 participants will march from the Maximilianstraße through downtown Munich to the Oktoberfest fairgrounds displaying a diversity of customs, folk music and folk-dance. Traditional costume and music groups will represent many different German states.
Festively clothed traditional costume group members, known as “Trachtler” alternate in colorful succession with sport clubs and mountain marksmen, brass bands, marching bands, trumpeters and brilliant fan twirlers. The magnificent brewery teams will of course also be present, augmented by over one hundred noble thoroughbreds pulling the beautifully decorated carriages. Among the guests of honor we again find the Munich “Kindl”, who will also lead this parade on horseback, the Mayor of Munich and the Bavarian Governor.
The Festring Munich e.V. are the organizers of this impressive parade, which counts as one of the largest and most beautiful in the entire world. This club is also responsible for the engraving of the annual Munich Oktoberfest medal and the Oktoberfest program.
Entry tickets are not necessary for the parade. It is however possible to reserve seats on the grandstand.
Parade line up: Franz-Joseph-Straße and Leopoldstraße
Further Infos: Tickets can be acquired at the Munich Ticket office: Telephone Nr. 089 / 548 181 81.
Parade line up: Franz-Joseph-Straße and Leopoldstraße
Festring Muenchen e.V. Pestalozzistraße 3a, 80469 Muenchen
Tel.: 089 / 260 81 34, Fax: 089 / 26 30 65
E-Mail: info@festring-muenchen.de
http://www.festring-muenchen.de
First Family Day
When: Tuesday, September 24, 2002, 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Description: This Tuesday features reduced prices and ticket fares for rides, which allows many families and others with tight budgets to visit and enjoy the Wiesn together.
A special program for children called the “Wiesn-Hits for Kids” also features special Oktoberfest-offers suitable for children.
Traditional Oktoberfest Mass
When: Thursday, September 26, 26.09.2002, 10:00am
Where: Hippodrom
Length: ca. 1 hour
Description: All citizens of Munich and Oktoberfest guests are warmly invited to attend a traditional Oktoberfest mass at the Hippodrom tent. Pastors from the largest religious denominations will celebrate a mass together with the people working at the fair (rides, food stands etc.), in addition to priests from neighboring countries.”
And that’s just the first week! Here’s more for the second week:
Gathering of the Oktoberfest Tent Bands
When: Sunday, September 28, 2003, 11 am
Where: Bavaria on the Theresienwiese
Description: All Oktoberfest tent bands will gather at the feet of the Bavaria Pantheon to give a concert. At this event, which has almost reached a cult status, approximately 400 musicians will interpret well-known marches and melodies.
Second Family Day
When: Tuesday, September 30, 2003,12 am – 6 pm
Description: This Tuesday features reduced prices and ticket fares for rides, for the second time, which allows many families and others with tight budgets to visit and enjoy the Wiesn together.
A special program for children called the “Wiesn-Hits for Kids” also features special Oktoberfest-offers suitable for children.
Oktoberfest Shooting
When: Sunday, October 5, 2003, 12 pm
Where: Bavaria on the Theresienwiese
Description: On the victory ceremony anniversary of the Oktoberfest-shooting match of the Bavarian rifle society, riflemen will fire off a large-scale salute on the steps of the Bavaria Pantheon.”
But if you are planning to make this trip for the “bier,” here is a book that has your best interests in mind. “The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich” even offers coupons for FREE beer! For $9 it pays you to own this book! Wish I had found it before we went…
During our time there, we ran into other Americans, specifically a bunch of guys from Wisconsin who thought they were serious beer drinkers. After a few days, they gave in and claimed they were only amateurs. The real pro’s were the Germans.
And from what we saw on the train from Mainz to Munich, I was even more impressed. A group whose day started well before ours had brought an ample supply of “bier” onto the train, both cases of bottles and the one-gallon cans. When that ran out, they dipped into the supply being sold on the train. I saw many of them going by with three or four bottles, and more than once!
I don’t recall seeing too many folks around the Theresienwiese who were intoxicated. But the Munich police and the German military we saw on patrol did not give a lot of slack. If there was any problem, they handled it right away, and ended it.
I did see a number of folks trying to sleep on benches at the Munich bahnhof (train station) who were rousted by the Bahnpolizei (railway police). I’m guessing they spent the night elsewhere, with the usual suspects and in less than exciting accommodations…
Now as much fun as a trip to Munich for this can be, if again like me, you can’t afford to make it there this year, there are many similar events here in the U.S.
As an example, here in San Francisco there is the Oktoberfest By The Bay. This year, it’s a four day event, complete with special festivities.
“SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Oktoberfest by the Bay, Ft. Mason, Oct. 16-19
His Royal Highness Prince Leopold von Bayern will be at keg tapping ceremony at the West Coast’s largest event!!
This year’s Oktoberfest will be more spectacular than ever. Opening will be on THURSDAY evening, 10/16. A special 100-liter wooden keg will be flown in from Munich for this event. The tapping ceremony will take place at 8:30pm in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Leopold von Bayern and other dignitaries.
Prince Leopold is a direct descendent of King Ludwig II, whose wedding celebration over 100 years ago led to what we now know as “Oktoberfest”. He will be in town for just this special event.
Enjoy great Spaten beer, food and fun Thursday- Sunday! This is an event not to be missed!”
With music provided by the Chico Bavarian Band and the Internationals (complete with the famed “Chicken Dance”) it’s another great evening of music, food, fun and of course, lots of great Spaten Oktoberfest “bier”!
You don’t have to wear lederhosen or a dirndl, or even speak German to have a good time. It helps, but it’s not required.
Another great option is watching the festivities in Munich on all of the webcams. Lots of great views from all over the Theresienwiese. Not for the faint of dial-up, however…
Closing up this column, we can’t forget the German Pavilion at Epcot in Orlando. At the Biergarten, it’s like Oktoberfest very night! With lots of great German food (at least when I was there in April of 1999) and Bavarian musicians to keep the family entertained, and of course, “bier”! That evening, I enjoyed two, that I can recall, mass krugs of Becks Dark.
Now during this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival from October 18 through November 16, I’ve found this:
Oktoberfest, presented by Lowenbrau (New!)
This festive celebration comes to the Germany Courtyard with traditional decor, a keg tapping ceremony and unique beer and food offerings.
Now, a guess would be that Lowenbrau may have taken over the “bier” supply efforts. I’m hoping that’s the German version, rather than that produced under license by the Miller Brewing Company.
As I alluded to above, there is a distinct difference between the two products. Kind of like night and day, actually. What we get here under that name is typical for the American consumer, and the same is true in Germany. It’s a “bier” best viewed as being for German tastes, not the typical rice beer we have here (a.k.a. Budweiser). There is a more full body and hearty flavor, not just sweetened to make you drink more, faster.
That said, one of our funniest moments in Munich was seeing a Budweiser truck. It took us a bit to realize this was Czechoslovakian, not American.
But if you’re looking to enjoy some of this full flavored “bier” at home, you should be in luck. Of the brewers available at Oktoberfest, you can find the following here imported into United States:
Spaten Oktoberfest
Paulaner Oktoberfest
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Locally, we have Beverages and More (a.k.a. BevMo) which sells a good selection of brews imported from around the world. Their German “bier” pages offer the above brews and lots of other good choices.
And, they do mail orders! J A lot more than “bier” and well worth the time to look for your favorite libation.
With that, you’ll pardon me while I take my frosty mass krug and fill it with Paulaner Oktoberfest, turn up the volume on iTunes to enjoy the compact disc of Oktoberfest music from Spaten (recorded live in Munich in 2001 — when I was there, put on my Bavarian hat and kick back…
“Ein Prosit
Ein Prosit, ein prosit der Germutlichkeit
Ein prosit, ein Prosit der Germutlichkeit
Ein prosit, ein Prosit der Germutlichkeit
Ein prosit, ein Prosit der Germutlichkeit
Prosit!
Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa!”
“A Toast
A Toast, a toast to Happiness
A Toast, a toast to Happiness
A Toast, a toast to Happiness
A Toast, a toast to Happiness
Toast!
One, two, three, down the hatch!”
Next up: It’s the basesball post season. The gods of the diamond willing, the Athletics will be there to the bitter end. In any case, Roger’s back next week with a look at baseball fantasy camps. Indulge those childhood dreams and spend sometime with the players from your glory days at the ball park, and heck, maybe even learn a thing or two…
And for less than the cost of a mug of your favorite brew, why note show your appreciation for Roger’s efforts with something in his Amazon Honor System Paybox? Somebody’s got to pay for his “bier!”