It only comes but once a year, and when it does everyone is merry. People in Germany celebrate it as a very grand occasion. Oktoberfest is very much famous not only in Germany but across the World.
- The start of the world-famous festival might surprise you because it doesn’t start in October. Instead, it begins in mid-September and usually finishes on the first or second day of October.
- Though Oktoberfest is world-famous, it is still predominantly attended by Bavarian’s. Majority of the guests are from Bavaria itself, with 15% coming from outside Germany. The whole of the beer consumed in the fest is made in the Capital of the Country Munich.
- Oktoberfest beer is stronger than regular beer, at around 6%. The variety is called Märzen as it is brewed in March and allowed to age so that it is ready to drink by late summer.
- It is forbidden to drink any beer other than Munich-brewed beer at Oktoberfest. The beer must have been brewed in the city walls and come from one of six individual history breweries. This is designated “Oktoberfestbier” – and all of the breweries are very very proud to be making it!
- Albert Einstein worked at Oktoberfest when he was young, putting up beer tents in 1896.
- The first Oktoberfest was held to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig in 1810. So, it’s 218 years old.
- Previously, it’s been cancelled 24 times in 218 years. Usually because of war, or, you know, a bad case of cholera.
- Oktoberfest starts with a gun salute on the first Saturday at 12 pm, followed by the mayor of Munich tapping the first beer keg, Technically, drinking should not begin before this announcement – but locals still queue from 6 am on the day to get a good spot in the beer tents.
- The most favourite things to eat at Oktoberfest are grilled chicken (“Hendl”), pork knuckles (“Schweinshaxe”), and oxen (“Osche”). The number of chickens is eaten FAR outstrips the number of sausages!
- Oktoberfest is famous for its fairground. It got its first roller coaster in 1908 – actually the first ever roller coaster in Germany.
- The amount of beer drunk at Oktoberfest could fill more than three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
- Waitresses at Oktoberfest can carry 10 Maß (litre glasses of beer) at once. Pretty impressive!
- Lost and found collects around 5,000 items each year, pretty much every year they find a pair of teeth. Wedding rings also seem to get surprisingly loose during Oktoberfest.
- The beer record was in 2011 when people drank 7.5 million litres.
- There are 14 large beer hall tents. The most famous one is Schottenhamel because it’s where the mayor taps the first keg and the biggest one is Hofbräu-Festhalle which seats almost 11,000 people.
- Host at Oktoberfest. Whoever wants to open a food stall or tent has to wait up to 20 years.
- Paris Hilton is permanently banned from this amazing beer carnival. She went to the event dressed in a golden and shiny Bavarian Drindl to promote a brand of canned wine. Locals got the organisers to ban her because they were offended by how she was dressed.
