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Oktoberfest 2011: Mountains of Bratwurst, Oceans of Beer

Why is Munich's famous Oktoberfest called Oktoberfest if it's mostly in September?

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to honor the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended after five days with a horse race. During the years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was extended and moved forward into September, for better chances of good weather. September nights are warmer and visitors can enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over "die Wiesen" or the fields. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times. The locals in Munich fondly refer to Oktoberfest as "die Wiesn" because of its location, Theresienwiese, which was named after Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

Oktoberfest 2011

Years after the first celebration, Oktoberfest 2011 already started on Saturday, September 17th with an official opening ceremony by the the lord mayor of Munich, who had the honor of tapping the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at the Schottenhamel tent. At the festival tents, you can buy souvenirs and stuff on local delicacies like Kassler Rippchen (pork chops, that have been smoked and ripened in salt brine), Knockwurst (plump sausage), Leberkäse (ground corned beef, pork, bacon and onions, baked as a loaf in a bread pan). And there's plenty of good Maß (a liter of Oktoberfest beer) and sauerkraut to wash the food down. All rides and the tents will be open from early morning until midnight every day until October 3rd, 2011.

Entry to the area and all beer-tents is free and does not require reservation. However, the organizers recommend that you consider and earlier arrival, if you want to make sure you get in and get a liter or two of beer (costs between €8.70 and €8.90 - varying in every beer tent).

Click here to download a map of the tents.

A new Oktoberfest app not only help you to get around, but also shows you which beer tents are open and which are already closed. And you might like the "barometer", that shows you how many visitors are expected on a certain day. Great specials are of course the beer counter and the drunkenness check: Count the beers you have already drunken and show it to your friends on facebook!

You can download it for free here.

Families and Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is probably not highly recommended, when traveling with children, but if you are there with the kids, remember that children under the age of six must leave the tents at 8pm even if they are in the company of their parents.