What is Oktoberfest?
There’s hardly a person around the world who hasn’t heard of Oktoberfest, the largest Volksfest (folk festival or fair) in the world that takes place annually in Munich and draws millions of visitors from around the globe. If you want to know when and how it started, why it is happening in September and not October like the name would suggest, what to wear, and if there is a special Oktoberfest beer, then you have come to the right place.
Full disclosure: I have never been to the Oktoberfest in München. I am not from Bavaria but I do own a dirndl given to me by my aunt. I have been to Oktoberfest-themed parties and I organized an Oktoberfest at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Penn., where I used to teach German. We had Würstchen from Aldi as well as pretzels, the students made “gingerbread” hearts out of paper with German sayings on it, and we did some arm wrestling. No beer though.
How it started
On October 12th, 1810 crown prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I.) married princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. It was a major event in Munich and the celebrations lasted for days. On 17th of October, the last day of the celebrations, a horse race took place on a meadow that was located outside of the city bounds. This meadow was named Theresienwiese after the princess and it’s where Oktoberfest takes place. The expression Wies’n that you might have heard before, refers not to the meadow but to the Oktoberfest itself.
The farmers liked this kind of festival because they could show and sell their goods to the horse race attendees. It was decided to add an agricultural fair to the event in 1811 to promote Bavarian agriculture. The fair now takes place every four years.
The festival grows
Every year the event grows bigger and better, more rides are added. The first merry-go-round and swings were introduced in 1818 as well as beer pubs, in 1850 the statue “Bavaria” is erected and protects the fair, 1885 sees the first Hendlbraterei (fried chicken stand), and with electricity the following year there are even more opportunities for merry-go-rounds, rides, and lighting.
In 1949, the Löwenbräu lion (Löwe = lion) became the mascot of the Oktoberfest to the dismay of the other five official Oktoberfest breweries. While more tents, food and drink booths, and other attractions were added yearly, the tradition of the first tapping of the Oktoberfest beer by Munich’s Oberbürgermeister (mayor) didn’t start until 1950. After the mayor taps the keg he or she will say “O’zapft is’” (It is tapped, but in a Bavarian accent of course) and the Oktoberfest is officially opened. Embarrassingly enough, the first tapping required 17 hits so it isn’t only the first tapping but also the worst.
The video shows the tapping of 2006.
In 1980, tragedy hit. A bomb exploded on September 26th near the main entrance killing 12 visitors and the right-wing extremist perpetrator, and injuring 200 people. There is now a memorial at the attack site.
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 it was debated if that year’s Oktoberfest should be canceled but in the end it took place.
There were times when the Oktoberfest had to be canceled. The most recent one, of course, is 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its beginning in 1810, the festivities were canceled 24 times not including 2020. Most often it was because of war: 1813 Napoleonic Wars, 1866 War between Prussia and Austria, 1870 German-French War, 1914-1918 World War I, and 1939-1945 World War II. The years following both world wars (1919/20 and 1946-48) only small autumn festivals took place. The Oktoberfest didn’t take place in 1923 or 1924 because of inflation, and in 1854 and 1866 Cholera made the festivities impossible.
Why the Oktoberfest starts in September
While the wedding between Ludwig and Therese took place in October, the Oktoberfest now starts in the middle/end of September and lasts til the first Sunday in October, normally lasting a total of 16 days. However, if that Sunday is the 1st or 2nd of October the fair is extended to include the 3rd of October, Germany’s Unity Day and a public holiday. This schedule change began in 1994, and so the 16 day festival sometimes runs for 18 days.
You may have already guessed why the Oktoberfest was moved to September – the weather! There are tents on the Wies’n where you can sit and drink and eat and have a good time (if you have a reservation – it’s very busy) but most activities take place outside. So it makes sense to have the fair start a little earlier in the year when the weather is milder.
The Beer
The beer you drink in the tents at the fairgrounds is not just any beer but beer provided by six Munich breweries: Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Spaten, Hofbräuhaus, Augustiner, and Paulaner. The breweries have to have their production site in Munich, and must follow the Munich purity decree of 1487 and the German purity decree of 1906. During the Oktoberfest they serve the Märzenbier (March beer) brewed that March. Every brewery has its own tent and serves their beer there. Unless, like in 1981, when Hofbräu ran out of beer one night and served Paulaner for several hours. (Do you think anybody noticed?)
Many other breweries from outside of Munich or specialty breweries have tried, sometimes through legal means, to have their beer featured at the Oktoberfest but all have failed. Not only do they often not meet the requirements of having the brewery located in Munich but they also don’t necessarily have the experience and reliability to ensure the tent operations go off without a hitch. The breweries need to be in good financial standing since they have to take part in the Wiesn Festzug, a parade featuring floats, horses and wagons, and provide monetary support for the Trachten- und Schützenzug (parade showing off traditional clothing and rifle clubs).
Traditionally, beer is served in a Maß which is 1 liter or 33.8 fl. Oz. Considering the music, dancing, and singing in a tent, I doubt that the whole liter is actually drunk by a person. The “Wies’n-Bier” that is served contains 13.5% original wort or gravity and has therefore a higher content of alcohol. In 2017, 7.7 million liters of beer were consumed at the Oktoberfest.
When you look at the infographic, you can see that the visitor numbers range between 5 million and in some years even more than 7 million. The beer consumption has risen relatively consistently and the liters surpassing the number of visitors in recent years.
If you don’t want to drink beer you can also find non-alcoholic beer, Radler (beer mixed with lemon soda), wine, and a variety of non-alcoholic drinks. They are mostly served in the smaller tents and at stands.
Food
A favorite food is the Brathendl which is half a fried or roast chicken and is normally eaten by hand. About 500,000 are sold every year. Other foods at the many booths include bratwurst, or really all kinds of sausages, spaetzle, baked potatoes, schnitzel, all varieties of pork, and in recent years more vegetarian and vegan options.
Fest der Völlerei – Festival of gluttony, Foods consumed at Oktoberfest 2017, Ochsen = oxen, Kälber = calves, Schweinshaxen = pork of ham, Paar Schweinswürstl = pair of pork sausages, ganze Hendl = whole roasted chicken
Music
What would be a party without music? In the big beer tents, there is live music and it is mostly traditional oompah music. Not that Germans call it that! We call it Volksmusik (folk music). It’s often songs and melodies that have been around forever, and everyone can sing along.
But there are also plenty of English songs like “Take me home, country roads” and “Sweet Carolina”.
Anyway, this kind of music is not exactly my cup of tea but I can see how the singing along and schunkeln (to sway to the music) will make for a great atmosphere and entertainment. Combine that with some drinking, and you have a party and a feeling of togetherness.
Tracht - Traditional Clothing
Tracht
Tracht (folklore or traditional clothing) really needs its own blog post because depending on the region in Germany, or rather Europe, the clothing is different. In Bavaria the predominant Tracht is a Dirndl for women and Lederhosen for men. They are not really everyday clothes, so when visiting Bavarian cities and towns you won’t see everybody wearing dirndl and lederhosen. But they are also not costumes you wear for Karneval, and the very short dirndl outfits you can find as Halloween costumes in the US are not in the spirit of the Tracht. You will however find elements of the Tracht in many daily outfits like knitted jackets with embroderies and silver buttons, or the Janker pictured here.
Dirndl
A Dirndl is a dress that is traditionally longer but the knee length dresses are trendy right now. The dress comes with an often white blouse but it can really be any color depending on the color of your dress. If your dress is already colorful you might want to opt for a plainer blouse and vice versa. The blouse’s cut is normally low to reveal some cleavage though there are many cuts that are more modest.
The apron is the last piece of the dirndl outfit and should complement the colors of the dress. It should finish at the hemline of the dress. When going to the Oktoberfest you should be aware where to tie the bow on your apron. If you wear the tie on the left it signals that you are single, a tie on the right means you are taken. Wearing the bow in the middle in the front indicates that the wearer is a virgin, and a bow tied in the back is worn by widows or waitresses. The following video shows you three different ways to tie a bow on a dirndl dress.
Since it can get chilly in the evening you might want to take a jacket with you. The most fitting would be a Tyrolean jacket with special stitching and buttons but any kind of rustic jacket will do. What you definitely don’t want to do is wear sneakers or boots with your dirndl, your outfit will be ruined.
For the finishing touch wear an Edelweiss necklace and braid your hair.
For (custom) designed dirndls here in the US visit www.raredirndl.com
Lederhosen
Lederhosen are worn by men but there is more to the traditional outfit than just a pair of leather pants. What most men wear are short pants often decorated and/or embroidered, with suspenders and a bib, and a white or checkered long-sleeved shirt. Do not wear a shirt with short sleeves. The pants are normally made out of deer skin and are soft but won’t tear. They are worn in the Alpine region and are different in material, style, and color depending on the region.
You have basically two options for your socks: Loferls (also Stutzn or Beinhösl) which are calf warmers, or knee high socks. In color both are often gray and dark green. If you decide to wear Loferls you shouldn’t wear socks or just low cut socks or footlets, often the footlets are sold with the Loferls as a set.
The only shoes you can wear with this outfit are Haferlschuhe (also Bundschuhe or Schützenschuhe in Austria). In 1803, a shoemaker in the Allgäu region came up with the design of the Haferlschuh. It was a shoe for workers, made of leather, twice sewn to the rubber sole with deep treads. They are still being made today and are the most appropriate footwear for men and women with their traditional outfits.
Bavarian hats with or without feathers can also be worn by men and women.
Oktoberfest around the world
While the Oktoberfest is really a Bavarian tradition many cities and towns in Germany host their own little Oktoberfest. The same is true for many cities in the US.
Some Germans leaving their home country and settling in other parts of the world took the tradition with them. Fredericksburg in Texas and Blumenau in Santa Catarina, Brazil are such cities established by German immigrants. They now host the second and third largest Oktoberfest celebrations.
Other cities with Oktoberfest traditions include Kitchener-Waterloo in Canada, La Crosse in Wisconsin, Brisbane in Australia, Villa General Belgrano in Argentina, and for some reason the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel in Hong Kong.
Have you ever been to an Oktoberfest, in Munich or elsewhere? Do you want to go? And what did you or will you wear? Let me know in the comments.
Here are some shopping suggestions. If you use any of the links and buy something, I will get a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Sources and further reading
- Offizielle Oktoberfest Website (also in English)
- Wikipedia - Oktoberfest - dt
- Wikipedia - Oktoberfest - eng
- Halferlschuhe - dt
- History of the Dirndl
- Dirndl Magazin - dt
- Wikipedia - Lederhose - dt
- Oktoberfest around the world
- Geschichte der Lederhose - dt
- Documentary - Oktoberfest - eng
- 3 Americans at the Oktoberfest
- 40 Jahre seit Wies'n Attentat - dt
- Bundespräsident, Oktoberfestattentat - dt
- Oktoberfest abgesagt - dt
So much information – thanks! But of course I did spot a mistake (I should be allowed to, after having lived there for eight years):
The Theresienwiese isn‘t called „Wies‘n“, that’s the regional name for the Oktoberfest itself. If you try to meet someone from Munich „auf der Wies‘n“ any other time than during Oktoberfest, they would immediately identify you as tourist.
Pro advice: you also don‘t meet „auf der Wies‘n“ during Oktoberfest, as it‘s way too crowded to find each other there – you meet well outside and walk there together.
Hi Malte, thank you for your comment.
I will go ahead and change my mistake, thank you for pointing it out. I strive for accuracy, even in the small details.
Next time I write anything about Munich, I’ll get you to look it over before posting. 😉
If I ever make to the real Oktoberfest, I’ll be sure to meet people outside.