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Everything You Need To Know About The Oktoberfest In Munich

By Jordan Ebor


Bavarian beer, cuisine and culture combine to make this one adventure you don't want to miss. Imagine singing along with tens of thousands accompanied by 'oom pah bands', while locals and tourists alike clad in lederhosen and dirndl dresses dance on tables. This is of course Oktoberfest.

The Oktoberfest in Munich, or as it is offered simply referred - Beerfest, is a 16 day festival celebrating what else, but beer.

One would presume with a name like Oktoberfest it would be held in October, but it actually commences each year in the middle of September and concludes on the first weekend of October.

More than 6 million people from all over the world attend the festivities during the 16 days and in that time they consume more than 6 million litres of beer. That's 1 litre for every man, woman and child who attends.

So how did this massive drinking session come about I hear you ask? Well funnily enough it all came about because of a wedding just over 200 years ago. Back then all the residents of Munich were invited to the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, which was held on the fields in front of the city gates. As part of the festivities horse races marked the close of the event. This was seen as a celebration for the whole of Bavaria and the following year they decided to run the horse races again. This was the beginning of what we now know today as Oktoberfest. The festival was eventually lengthened and moved to commence in September to allow for better weather conditions.

What can you do there? Drink the best beer in the world of course. There are currently 14 large tents and 20 small tents at Oktoberfest. The tents themselves are non-permanent structures that are constructed for and only used during the festival. All the beer tents play different types of music and have entertainment to keep the crowds buzzing.

Not only are there massive beer tents, but the fesitval site has numerous amusement rides, schnapps tents and activities to amuse both young and old. Visitors may also enjoy a wide variety of traditional Bavarian delicacies including pork knuckles, bratwurst sausages, roast chicken, potato/bread dumplings and of course pretzels.

The beer must also be brewed within the city limits of Munich and conform to the German Purity Law to be classified as Oktoberfest beer.

The price of a 1 litre stein (or Mass in German) is around 8 to 9 Euros. However, always remember that if you want your server to return it is customary to tip them, so generally allow 10 Euro's for a beer.




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