Random Facts #7: Oktoberfest

It is September now, and that means Oktoberfest! I get a lot of questions about this particular event, not because of my historical training,  but because I was raised in Germany. I thought it'd be fun to write a quick history of this event, some of the customs surrounding, and a few fun facts!

The History

In 1810 heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Therese was quite a catch; Therese was from an ancient family and considered quite beautiful and she'd been one of Napoleon's prospects for marriage . A royal marriage was always a great event, and celebrations were held on the fields near the city gates of Munich. Big public gatherings like these (Volksfest) were common in Germany on feast days or during celebrations, and the citizens of the city happily ventured into the fields to drink, feast, and be entertained on the King's dime. In honor of the new bride, the field was named Theresienwiese, Therese's field. 

The festival ran for several days, starting the day after the royal wedding (on October 12, 1810). One of the final events was a horse race to be held on October 18. According to legend the race was organized by a Major in the army, but the details remain hazy. What is certain is that the Theresienwiese was the ideal place for such an event; the field itself was large but right next to the city, and a large hill located at its edge could serve as seating for tens of thousands of race spectators. A royal pavilion was set on top of this hill, so the newlyweds and the Monarch would have a fine view of the upcoming race. To entertain the royal guests, local wines and beers were sampled, and children put on shows for them. The race itself was a wild event, and ultimately a horse belonging to a Franz Baumgartner (possibly another founder of the event) won. 

The race proved so popular that in 1811 it was decided to repeat the event. Knowing that thousands from across Europe would attend, the Bavarian government decided to host an agricultural show in the week before the race. Bavarian trade goods could be shown off, adding an economic element to the festivities. The agricultural show remains a part of Oktoberfest (it's held every third Oktoberfest)  and the economic and advertising element would later be adopted by the famous Bavarian breweries. 

The festival continued to grow; in 1813 it was cancelled thanks to Napoleon, but afterwards it exploded in popularity as Europeans began to celebrate and take life easy after decades of war. In 1818 the first "carnival" entertainments, such as simple rides and games, started appearing alongside the rapidly growing number of beer tents, and the next year it was decided to officially make the October Festival a yearly event. In 1850 a statue of Bavaria, the personification of the kingdom, was erected over the field and in 1853 the Rumshalle, a large classical style building was constructed nearby to serve as a focal point of festivities. 

Rumshalle and Bavaria

In the early days small stands built by local brewers were erected to serve beer to thirsty guests, but as time went on the number of these booths expanded and the festival took on more and more of a public drinking aspect. Finally, in 1896 large tents and beer halls began to be built by the Munich's largest breweries; the idea was to have everything a festival patron might want under one roof. Around this time the date of the event was also pushed up to mid-September; foul October weather had dampened events in some prior years and pushing the event to late summer would guarantee better weather. 

The Beer

As mentioned above, originally beer was sold to guests as an afterthought, but as the Munich breweries grew it became the main attraction. A number of strict rules and traditions have grown around the beers served at Oktoberfest, mostly dictated by the Club of Munich Brewers, a trade organization of the city's breweries. 

A Maß is quite large. Extra head is there to make carrying the glass without spillage easier. 

All "official" beers served at Oktoberfest are Marzen, a type of German lager. It has to conform to the rules set down in the Bavarian Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) which states the only ingredients used in the brewing are water, hops, and barley. This "Oktoberfestbier" is specially brewed for the event, and it is allowed to be stronger than normal, usually around 2% stronger than the beer normally produced by a given brewery. This means the beer served at Oktoberfest is around 6% abv. It is always served by the "Maß", which means of mug of exactly 1 litre (about 33 ounces) of beer. 

Officially only 6 breweries have the right to produce Oktoberfest Marzen; Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spatenbräu, and Staatliches Hofbräu-München. Each of the 6 runs one of the main beer tents, and while craftbrews and foreign beers have become available outside of the main event, these 6 still dominate throughout Munich during Oktoberfest. 

Some Facts

-Oktoberfest has been cancelled on numerous occassions, usually during war or as a result of a public health crisis. In several instances (in the years after both World Wars) a smaller event, the kleineres Herbstfest (Smaller Fall Festival) was held to save money. 

-While a parade was held at the first Oktoberfest in 1810, the tradition of the modern annual parade started in 1887. This event celebrated the staff of the local breweries and festivals, and the garish decorations of the wagons and later floats built by the breweries serve as a lure to bring guests to their beer tents. The parade is always held the first Saturday of Oktoberfest and serves as the event's official kickoff. 

-The festival was one of the first in Europe to be lit electrically in 1880. 

-Originally, beer was drunk out of ceramic mugs, usually brought to the event by guests. In 1892 breweries instead started serving the beer in glass mugs so that they could better control portions served to guests. 

-About 75% of attendees are Bavarians or Austrians. Another 15% are foreigners from outside of Europe. The event annually brings about 6 million visitors in. 

-"Drunk Watching" is a favorite past time of many Munich residents during the event; many visitors overindulge and this, combined with the heat and extremely cramped conditions makes many sick. The issue is so common that this year Adidas released a shoe which is "puke resistant". Pleasant, no?

-Oktoberfest is extremely crowded; locals make reservations for tables inside of the big beer tents up to a year in advance, and many foreigners find themselves shut out of the most desirable tents by throngs of Germans with reservations. 

Oktoberfest waitresses can carry over a dozen  beers, and use whistles to get the crowds to move out of their way!

-There are rides and games at Oktoberfest, and efforts continue to be made to make the event more family friendly. 

-Oktoberfest isn't really an event outside of Munich, contrary to popular thought in America. Most towns and cities have their own fall festivals. Many Germans are aware of Oktoberfest but have never been, and the event holds a similar place in many German minds to the one held for Mardi Gras by many Americans outside of the Gulf coast. 

-The second largest Oktoberfest in the world is held right here in Cincinnati, Ohio! It starts today!