- Blog - Oktoberfest 2009

I've just got back from Oktoberfest 2009 in Munich. I have never been to Germany before and it was a great opportunity to practice my German and immerse myself in the Bavarian culture. I took the two photos above at the festival, which turned out to be much more of a funfair that expected. There were huge corporate beer tents holding thousands of people, consuming millions of litres of beer.

According to wikipedia, "The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October...Visitors also eat huge amounts of traditional hearty fare such as Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Haxn (knuckle of pork), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstel (sausages) along with Brezeln (Pretzel), Knödeln (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a fatty, spiced cheese-butter concoction) and Weisswurst (a white sausage)."

"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)."

More can be found here