Ozapft is! The Making of Oktoberfest

Six million people attend Germany’s famous folk festival, which has been held in Munich for more than 200 years. The celebration has grown to become an extravagant 16 days of beer, rides, music and Bavarian culture, but this is the story of how Oktoberfest started.

© Daniel Stockman | Flickr

King Ludwig I of Bavaria originally created the festival in 1810, as he was about to marry Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the occasion in front of the city gates at Theresienwiese (Theresa’s meadow, a name that still stands as the shortened Wiesn). Horse races were held in the royal couple’s honor, beginning with a costumed parade (a festival staple) and ending with a choir of student singers.

Munich opened the fields again the next year, with the addition of a farm show to promote Bavaria’s agricultural goods. Each festival grew in size and scope, save for a few interrupted by cholera, the Napoleonic Wars and the Prussian Wars. Despite a few setbacks, the festival was slowly adding all the elements that make Oktoberfest what it is today.

© Emdees | Flickr

Carnival booths were added in 1818, offering prizes of silver, porcelain and jewelry. In 1880, the festival was illuminated by electric lights for the first time and the following years saw the introduction of bratwurst and beer served in glass mugs. By the end of the 19^th century, Oktoberfest had grown so big the vendor booths could not cope with the crowds, leading to the creation of beer halls, the iconic tents still used today.

© John Solaro | Flickr

The modern-day festival is now attended by 6 million people annually, consuming an estimated 7.7 million liters of beer over 16 days. The festival restricts breweries to those that conform to Germany’ Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law. Beer must also be brewed within Munich, limiting Oktoberfest to Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spatenbräu and Staatliches Hofbräu-München.

These brewers also organize the famous beer halls, the most famous being the Hippodrom by Spatenbräu. Hofbräu-Festzelt is particularly popular with American, Australian and New Zealand visitors, but visitors should take time to check out the many smaller tents, specializing in a variety of foods and drinks.