History of Oktoberfest

The original "Oktoberfest" occurred in Munich in 1810, almost two centuries ago. The occasion was the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig (to become King Ludwig I) to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The day was 12 October 1810.

The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates. Horse races were held at the close of the event, and the decision to repeat them yearly gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest. Although the horse races were once the most popular event of the festival, they are no longer held today.

In the first few decades, entertainment was sparse, and mostly limited to the horse races. In 1819, citizens of Munich took over festival management. Festivities were lengthened and the opening date pushed forward in order to take advantage of the more pleasant September weather. Visitors were able to quench their thirst at a rapidly expanding number of small beer stands. In 1881, booths selling bratwurst opened to satisfy the attendees’ “Bierhunger” (German for “beer hunger”: that appetite resulting from beer consumption, a phenomenon well known to the Barbeerians). In 1896, the enterprising landlords, with the enthusiastic backing of the local breweries, set up the first beer tents.

In the year 1910, Oktoberfest celebrated its 100th birthday; 120,000 liters of beer were consumed. In 1913, the Bräurosl was founded, which was the largest Oktoberfest beer tent of all time; it could accommodate 12,000 guests (today, the biggest tent is the Hofbräu-Festhalle, which holds 10,000).

Over the years, Oktoberfest had to be cancelled a number of times for various reasons. As we know, Germans have been known to pick up a fight with their neighbors here and then, when not busy drinking beer. Add to that a couple of Cholera epidemics, and some perfectly-good drinking time was wasted away digging up trenches. Cancelled years included:

1812 cancelled because of Napoleonic wars (OK the French were to blame that time)

1853 cancelled due to a cholera epidemic

1866 cancelled due to Austro-Prussian War

1870 cancelled due to Franco-Prussian War

1873 cancelled due to another cholera epidemic

1914-1918 cancelled due to World War 1

1939-1945 cancelled due to World War 2

1946-1948 Germans weren’t trusted to behave yet; as a result, proper Oktoberfest beer wasn’t allowed. Attendees had to settle for beer that had an alcohol content under 2%.

Today, the Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest festival in the world. This year marks the 198th anniversary with its 175^th celebration. It is also celebrated in many breweries and German eateries around the world. So “Zum Wohl!”