The Munich Beer Festival, or Oktoberfest, is held at the Theresienwiese grounds in south west Munich in late September/early October every year. The first Oktoberfest was in 1810, when a horse race was held as part of the celebrations of Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The race was such a success that it was decided to repeat it the following year.
As time went by more and more events were added to the Oktoberfest. Some of these are still part of the festival today, such as the parade led by the Munchner Kindl. The Munchner Kindl is a child (or young woman) dressed in a traditional costume, and representing the city of Munich. Following her will be about 8000 other, mostly Bavarians, wearing traditional costumes. It has been suggested that the Munchner Kindl is the inspiration for Frank Baum's Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz.
The festival itself is held at the Theresienwiese. This space is south west of the city center, and has its own station on the U-Bahn railway. Its is named after Princess Therese, whose marriage was the cause of the first Oktoberfest.
Nowadays the festival has increased in length (16 to 18 days), and the start date is in September. The festival will always include German Unity Day, which is 3rd October. The next one will be from 17th September to 3rd October 2011.
Nowadays drinking Bavarian beer is the main focus of the festival. It is known as the largest Volksfest (People's Fair) in the world, with more than 6 million visitors, 72% of whom are Germans from Bavaria. About 15% of visitors are non-German. As well as other Europeans there are many visitors from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Approximately 7 million liters of beer are drunk every year, and vast quantities of food are eaten. As well as sausages and chicken, other meat dishes include Schweinsbraten (roast pork) and Schweinshaxe (grilled ham). The meat may be accompanied with Knodel (bread or potato dumplings), Kasspatzn (cheese noodles) and Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes).
As it gets very busy, it can be a good idea to arrive early at the beer tents, especially at the weekend. Also do not give up your seat if you intend to return later. There is some outdoor seating, but those seated outside will miss out on a lot of the music and atmosphere in the tents.
Looking for more information on the 200 year old tradition of the Oktoberfest ? Everything you need to know now in our complete review of Bavarian Festivals on http://www.paradiseparties.com/oktoberfest.asp
Orignal From: Bavaria's Historic Oktoberfest Welcomes Six Million Visitors Each Year
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