Oktoberfest

Held from 17th Sep to 3rd Oct, 2022

Oktoberfest is The Largest Beer Festival in The World. It is 16-18 day festival, held during late September to early October. It is held annually in Munich, Germany. It is also one of the most famous events in Germany and the World's Largest Fair. It attracts some Six Million People every year who consume 1.5 million gallons of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage and 480,000 spit-roasted chickens during the two-week extravaganza. In fact it is also one of Munich's Largest and Most Profitable Tourist Attractions. It brings over 450 million euros to the city's coffers each year.  It is an important part of Bavarian culture and forms the basis for other Oktoberfest celebrations modelled after the Munich event in other cities across the world. The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3. Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese) often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Brief History - The Oktoberfest tradition started in October 18, 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to the Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese, which was held on October 12th. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the city gates. The main event of the original Oktoberfest was a horse race. Anniversary celebrations were held annually thereafter that eventually became larger and more elaborate. An agricultural show was added during the second year. In 1818, a carousel and two swings were set up for the revellers. Such amusements were few in the first decades of the festival, but party-goers were amply entertained by the tree climbing competitions, wheel barrow and sack races, mush eating contests, barrel rolling races, and goose chases.

By 1870s, mechanical rides were an expanding feature of the festival and in 1908, the festival boasted Germany's first roller coaster. When the city began allowing beer on the fairgrounds, makeshift beer stands began cropping up, and their number increased steadily until they were eventually replaced by beer halls in 1896. The beer halls, like the beer tents of today, were sponsored by the local breweries. The festival was eventually prolonged and moved ahead to September to allow for better weather conditions. Today, the last day of the festival is the first Sunday in October. In 2006, the Oktoberfest extended two extra days because the first Tuesday, October 3, was a national holiday. Over the past 200 years, Oktoberfest was cancelled 24 times due to cholera epidemics and war.

Special Beer - The Oktoberfest Beer is of a variety called Märzen. Darker and stronger than traditional beer, Märzen contains up to 6% alcohol, is bottom-fermented, and is lagered for at least 30 days.

Events - Since its origins in 1810, the Oktoberfest has changed substantially. It now includes amusements, rides, performances, booths of vendors peddling food and traditional confections. The Costume and Riflemen's Procession takes place on the first Sunday of the festival, in which some 7000 performers -- groups in traditional costumes and historical uniforms, marching bands, riflemen, thoroughbred horses and other livestock, old-fashioned carriages, and numerous floats -- parade through the streets of Munich's city centre showcasing the diversity of local, regional, and national customs. Popular and folk music, marches and polkas also form up the celebrations on this day.

Health Facilities - Every year young people, who overestimate their ability to handle large amounts of alcohol pass out due to drunkenness. These especially drunk patrons are often called Bierleichen, which is the German Equivalent for Beer Corpses. For such people and for the general medical treatment of visitors the Bavarian branch of German Red Cross operates an aid facility and provides emergency medical care on the festival grounds, staffed with around 100 volunteer medics and doctors per day.