What is the Oktoberfest?

What is the Oktoberfest?

It may seem like a stupid question – but there are no stupid questions, only lazy answers. And although almost everyone has heard of the Oktoberfest, not everyone knows exactly what it is.

That’s partly because it’s a lot of things rolled into one: it’s first and foremost a festival of food and drink, with tents and beer gardens, and a fun fair or carnival for kids (small and big). It’s also a celebration of the city of Munich and its history, as well as of all things Bavarian. Beyond that, it’s become one of the big international parties – on a par with phenomena like American Spring Break, the Spanish Semana Santa, or Swedish Midsommar as a fun event known across the globe.

It happens once a year and usually lasts for sixteen days. About the timing: it’s called Oktoberfest, but at least 50% of it is actually in September (it generally starts on the second-to-last September Saturday). So really, you should look at it as a party to welcome October and the autumn, which is one reason why food and drink is so important – when it was founded, they were plentiful at that time, giving it a secondary role as a kind of harvest festival.

Essentially, there are three kinds of Oktoberfest, all happening in one place – Munich’s dedicated Theresienwiese, or “Wiesn”. There’s the family fun, which generally happens during the day and sees children delighting in candy floss, sweets, and fairground rides, before their parents need a break and enjoy a late lunch in the beer gardens. Then there’s the traditional Munich Oktoberfest, in which Müncheners who’ve been going for years and have been able to reserve a table in a tent (these are in short supply) come in traditional finery and enjoy an afternoon feast of radish salad, chicken, pork knuckle, and beer. And finally, there’s the young party scene, with Germans and people from all over the world making the most of the beer in the tents and gardens, singing, dancing, carousing, and heading off into the nightclubs (if they can still walk). The three scenes run side-by-side and do mix – many an older Münchener can be found leaving his or her family table on the upper deck to go and get involved with the evening fun – but each Oktoberfest goer will have quite a different view of the festival depending on where they come from and what they go there to do.

And, of course, there’s dirndl and lederhosen dress: it’s not obligatory, but you will find that most people wear some form of traditional Tracht and that it’s considered to be all part of what makes the Oktoberfest what it is.