Oktoberfest celebration!

As I am currently traveling in Germany for a few weeks I thought it would be appropriate to write a post on the event of the year for Germans – Oktoberfest.  This year, Oktoberfest started on September 22nd and will end on October 7th which coincides with my trip!  I have looked up a few facts on the web to help explain where this yearly celebration came from and how anyone, not just those with German ancestry, can raise a mug of beer and join in the festivities.

Oktoberfest has become one huge international party that lasts 16 days and has is largest and most well known festivities happening in Munich.  This celebration was originally the wedding reception of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who wanted the people of Munich to share in the celebration of his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 17, 1810. Beer, food, wine, music and entertainment were enjoyed by all and… then there was Oktoberfest! People had such a great time that Ludwig decided to make the party a yearly event and soon the length of the festival was increased and moved slightly into September to ensure more drink worthy weather.

The modern celebration in Munich will see approximately 6 million people with some 100,000 packed into 28-30 tents to drink beer, eat a variety of foods, listen to live music and watch all sorts of entertainment.  Six Munich breweries, Löwenbräu, Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr, brew a special Bavarian style beer just for the Oktoberfest which is served in all of the tents along with savory specialties like wurst or sausages with sauerkraut and onions, spit-roasted chicken, fire-grilled oxen, pretzels…and more beer…. There are also many distractions for kids such as merry-go-rounds and roller-coasters, gingerbread cookies and roasted almonds, and numerous parades.

Some interesting facts about Oktoberfest:

• 30% of the year's production of beer by Munich breweries will be consumed in the two weeks of Oktoberfest.
• 12,000 People are employed at the Oktoberfest. 1600 are waitresses.
• There is available seating for 100,000 people.
• The six Oktoberfest breweries, (Spaten, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräuhaus, Löwenbräu) sold 6 million mugs of beer in 2005.
• 88 roasted oxen, 220,000 pairs of sausages and 460,000 roasted chickens were consumed in 2005 (give or take a few)

If you are looking to celebrate a little closer to home, I would suggest looking at your neighboring states or provinces since Cincinnati, Ohio and Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario host the two largest festivals outside of Germany!  If you are more on the adventurous side and feel the need to get in the middle of the action, check out the Munich Tourism Website for helpful planning tips and travel information.  If you are only in the mood for some beer and sausages, I would suggest trying the Bratwurst Cooked in Beer with Apple Sauerkraut recipe from the Food Network.  Yummmm and O'zapft is!

Comments

[Kelly Mahoney]

Great facts, very interesting.