Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

The Oktoberfest is celebrated each year in the Bavarian city of Munchen (Munich). Bavaria's striking blue and white flag has come to symbolize this festive occasion.

The Oktoberfest is the worlds largest German folk festival held yearly in Munich. It began in 1810 when Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig married Theresa of Saxony (Sachsen-Hildburghausen). The townsfolk held a party in a large field outside the city to celebrate and it was so popular, they held it again a year later. The same field has hosted the festival ever since and came to be named 'Theresienwiese' or 'Theresa's meadow' in English. It is, without a doubt, the largest festival in the world, and regularly draws over 6 million people through it's 16 day run.

Although called Oktoberfest and originally beginning on Oct 12th, the Wiesn, to take advantage of better weather was started in September in 1872 . To find out when any years festival starts, just find the first Sunday in October and count back 15 days to the starting Saturday. The year 2009 will be the 176th festival and starts on the 19th of September and runs through October 5th.

When it comes to the Oktoberfest, the first thing most people think of is huge Beer Tents. Entering one for the first time is certainly an awe inspiring event. Most people have only seen crowds like this at sporting events and rock concerts. But you haven't seen 'crowded' until you behold a full tent on a Friday or Saturday night. The tents fill up fast, especially on weekends.

The opening ceremony is an absolute must. The brewers' flower-covered floats, drawn by horses dressed in all their finery, parade through Munich amid a procession in traditional Bavarian costume. On weekdays and during the daytime, this world-famous event is perfectly suitable for families. After your children have enjoyed the fairground attractions, you can sample one of the specialities (chicken grilled on the spit, for example) available in the giant beer halls erected for the occasion - each Bavarian brewer has an immense 'permanent' chalet, replacing the tents of yesteryear.

Friday or Saturday evening is when heavy drinkers come to slake an unquenchable thirst to the sound of Bavarian brass bands. There is overindulgence, but the atmosphere always remains friendly and fundamentally peaceful. The organisation is meticulous, leaving nothing to chance, while the police and Red Cross keep an eye open for trouble. As there is nowhere to park around Theresienwiese square, everyone leaves by public transport.

The event has some impressive statistics: 14 giant tents with a total seating capacity of 100,000 serve 5.5 million litres of potent 'March beer', more than 600,000 fried chickens and 84 heads of cattle. The annual commercial value of the whole thing is estimated at a minimum of 0.7 billion Euro.

Tuesdays from noon till 6pm are 'Family Days'. We advise getting there early (like 11.00) and finding a good spot. Be warned though, Oktoberfest beer at around 8% is strong stuff and you might be advised to drink some with Radlers (shandy) too. If you're in Munich at this time it's a must visit.

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