We are now in the month of October and if you are a fan of beer at all you would know that the biggest beer celebration, Oktoberfest happens during this month. Annually brew lovers around the world will go on a pilgrimage to Munich, Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest. Each year it is celebrated by an estimated of six million people in Germany and the rest of the world.
If you don’t know much about this festival, we are here to educate you. Here are some fun facts about Oktoberfest that you should probably know if you’re into beer and the celebration itself:
It doesn’t start in October
Besides its famous name, Oktoberfest doesn’t actually start in October. The festival begins on the third weekend of September and ends on the first Sunday of October.
Oktoberfest didn’t begin as a beer festival
Believe it or not, Oktoberfest didn’t start as a drinking festival! It originally began in October 1910 as a celebration of the marriage between Crown King Ludwig and Queen Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
The beer weren’t always served in glass mugs
When you think of Oktoberfest one of the many things that come to mind is the famous glass mug that beer is usually served in. But it wasn’t until 1982 until that happened. Prior to that time, beer steins were made from stone, which proceeded to being made of metal, and even though the modern glass took over, some are still being used now.
Oktoberfest have loads of lost and found items
It seems only normal that beer festival and lost items come hand-in-hand. Believe it or not, Oktoberfest usually collects about 4,000 lost and found items after the festival. Apparently the weirdest item were dentures, which is of course a bizarre thing to lose! Talk about a proverbial treasure chest!
Drink for your health!
The reason why Oktoberfest have become popular and an important part of Munich culture is not without reason. Back in the day, Southern Bavaria was quite well-known for having very little supply of fresh water. In order to avoid cholera and other horrible illnesses, the locals would drink beer to quench their thirst. ‘Zum Wohl!’ as the locals would cheer!
There’s lots of meat!
During Oktoberfest in Munich, there’s not just aplenty of beer but also a variety of delicious, hearty and traditional food for festival-goers to stuff their face with. Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (pickled red cabbage), Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Hendl (roast chicken), just to name a few!
You can totally bring the little ones
Believe it or not, Oktoberfest organizers have worked very hard to make the yearly festival a kid-friendly gathering. Usually there will plenty of entertainment for kids like the Ferris wheel, games, roller coasters and also traditional parades!
Festival attendees are looked after
To keep everyone attending at Oktoberfest, the Red Cross usually sets up about 15 hangover beds for people that needs to sleep off the drunkness. Sure, it may not seem a lot considering the number of people that comes to celebrate Oktoberfest is usually more than 7,000 but hey, 15 hangover beds are better than none. Oh, and in case you have any pants-related accidents, they have spares too!
If you’re also a fan of Oktoberfest and can’t seem to fly all the way to Munich to celebrate, why not throw a little party of your own with prizes you can win from our Oktoberfest contest!
