The history of Oktoberfest (2024)

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The history of Oktoberfest? ›

Oktoberfest's roots can be traced back to 1810 in Munich, which is in the Bavarian region of Germany. On October 12th of that year, the future King Ludwig got married and invited the entire city to attend the celebration, which included a large feast and horse races.

Oktoberfest, 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 inaugural Oktoberfest was first celebrated in Munich in 1810 in honor of Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began October 12, 1810, and lasted nearly a week until October 17, ending with an exciting horse race.

It is the world's largest beer festival and attracts millions of visitors from all over the world! The reason why Oktoberfest is so popular is the combination of hearty Bavarian cuisine and the many types of beer available from local breweries.

On white background symbols of Oktoberfest: mug beer, pretzel, tyrolean hat and maple leaf.

Oktoberfest is an annual festival held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The festival originates with a party held in celebration of a royal marriage. On October 12, 1810, Kronprinz Ludwig (later King Ludwig I of Bavaria) married the Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in Munich.

Oktoberfest is the ultimate celebration of German beer, food and Bavarian culture! Germany's largest volksfest is famous around the world and is held annually in autumn in the Bavarian region of Germany.

During Oktoberfest, the city gets packed and there are drunk people everywhere, and all the time. The drunken debauchery often leads to fights, agressive behavior, and bierleichen — so-called "beer corpses," which is what locals call the many passed out drunks lying on the hill behind the tents.

You don't have to like beer to enjoy Octoberfest! There are plenty of other ways to celebrate this Bavarian festival. Octoberfest does not have to be held in a traditional bierkeller.

What is an Oktoberfest saying? ›

It falls upon the Mayor of Munich to open Oktoberfest by tapping a beer keg and shouting “O'ZAPFT IS'!”, thus officially starting the festivities. It literally means “It's tapped!”

The blue and white colours signify the true spirit of any festival, namely, harmony and peace. The Oktoberfest can rightly be termed as the celebration of autumn abundance as the various colours of Oktoberfest beers represent the shades of autumn.

Kellner /Kellnerin. German for Beer Maids and Beer Waiters.

Contrary to popular belief held by foreigners, Oktoberfest is not all about the beer. In fact in Germany it's not even considered a beer festival, but rather a traditional folk festival for the entire family (you'll even see parents pushing prams!).

Märzen (German: [ˈmɛʁt͡sn̩]) or Märzenbier (German: March beer) is a lager that originated in Bavaria, Germany. It has a medium to full body and may vary in colour from pale through amber to dark brown. It was the beer traditionally served at the Munich Oktoberfest.

Dirndls, for women, and lederhosen for men and some women, make up Munich's Oktoberfest trachten, or traditional costumes, and with well in excess of 90% of revellers in the beer halls sporting some kind of Oktoberfest dirndl or lederhosen, for even the short-term visitor an investment in some Oktoberfest outfits can ...