Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria

Time flies by so fast now. Imagine we are already on the second quarter of the year. April is finally here. I believed thousands and even millions of tourists from around the world had already booked their trip to witness the biggest fair in the world, the famous and worldwide known Oktoberfest. Others might still be looking for cheap flights and hotels.

I guess I am lucky to witness this festival three times in my life. You can witness and experience a lot in this festival especially the Bavarian culture. You can hear different music from the different live bands inside the beer tents. Bavarian and German musics and songs are frequently played. I am admire the high-tech music instruments and equipments they are using there. I guess Zildjian Drums are also use by the different bands. Sitting alone inside the beer tents and listening to the live bands while drinking beer and eating German delicacies will surely be a fantastic experience for you.

There are also a lot of carnival rides to try and experience during the Oktoberfest. If you have the chance, don't miss to visit this festival once in your life. For sure, you will have a lot of fun there.

This year's festival will take place from September 22 to October 7, 2012.

one of the carnival rides at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. I was there!

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Remembering Oktoberfest in Munich

I had been to the biggest festival in the world three times already. The first time I experienced Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany was last September 2008. That was quite a very exciting trip. It was followed in September 2009 and then this year's 200th Anniversary celebration.

There are some changes going on every year. This year, when the No-smoking law was implemented in the state of Bavaria, it is no longer allowed to smoke inside the beer tents. If I am not mistaken, you can find cigarettes and cigar deals in some kiosks in the festival but sad to say, you can't anymore smoke inside the beer tents. Some guests and visitors were not happy about it but law is law and we cannot just ignore it.

Here are some images I took during my visits to this amazing festival.

one of the beer tents in Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

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Oktoberfest 2010 is Coming Soon in Munich, Bavaria, Germany

I already posted some images and information about Oktoberfest in my other site, Travel and Explore Germany. Feel free to click the link to read more infos about the largest fair in the world that is held every year in Theresienwiese in Munich, the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. This year's celebration commemorates the 200th anniversary and will run from September 18 to October 3, 2010.

Here are some of the snapshots I took during our visit last September 2009.

Around six million of people visit Oktoberfest every year. Be careful if you are bringing your kids with you because there are truly a lot of people in the festival.

The original "Oktoberfest" occurred in Munich, on October 18, 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (namesake of the Theresienwiese festival grounds) organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12; the horse race on October 17—therefore, there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest).


MODERN FESTIVAL

Since 1950, there has been a traditional festival opening: A twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the incumbent Mayor of Munich with the cry "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!" in the Austro-Bavarian language) opens the Oktoberfest. The Mayor then gives the first beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. The first mayor to tap the keg was Thomas Wimmer.

By 1960, the Oktoberfest had turned into an enormous world-famous festival. After this foreigners began to picture Germans as wearing the Sennerhut, Lederhosen, and the girls in Dirndl. Horse races ended in 1960.

It is customary for people during the Oktoberfest to wear cowboy shaped hats, which contain a tuft of goat hair. In Germany, goat hair is highly valued and prized, making it one of the most expensive objects for sale. The more tufts of goat hair on your hat, the wealthier you are considered to be. But now, due to textiles and cheap imitations, this tradition has been ending because it is so easy to fake goat hair with the technology at our fingertips. more here

striking a pose during our visit last September 2009. You can see the tower of the Paulaner beer tent in my background.

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Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Let's go travel Europe again! This time we are visiting Germany's famous celebration! Don't you know that Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany is the world's biggest fair? Yes, it is! It is also considered as one of the famous events in Germany and considered to be a part of the Bavarian Culture. I remember that we also have an Oktoberfest at the town where I grew -up in the Philippines. It is also modeled after Munich's Oktoberfest. Millions of visitors from all over the world come to Munich to take part and witness the said celebration.

Oktoberfest is a two-week festival or a 16 day festival to be exact and is held every year during the last week of September until first week of October. I had been to this festival twice already. Below are some of the photographs I took last 2008. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

the rides at the Oktoberfest in Munich

it seems that rain is coming here! yes, it did rained during our visit last September 2008.

"The original "Oktoberfest" occurred in Munich, on October 18, 1810: For the commemoration of their marriage, Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (namesake of the Theresienwiese festival grounds) organized a great horse race (the marriage took place on October 12; the horse race on October 17—therefore, there are different dates named as being the first Oktoberfest)."wikipedia

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