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The Munich Oktoberfest 2008 — a Guide

10 Fast Facts — from Beer Tents to Bavarian Food to Family Days

Sep 21, 2008 Gill Hart

Munich's Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival offers more than just beer. Take the family and enjoy music, wine, traditional Bavarian dishes and funfair rides.

Germany’s 175th Oktoberfest is now underway, after the official opening on 20th September, 2008 with a traditional twelve gun salute and the grand ceremony where the Lord Mayor of Munich "taps" the first keg of beer. The festival draws to a close on 5th October.

According to Mark Worthington’s report on BBC World's news channel, it is estimated that around 6 million people will attend this beer festival, the biggest beer festival in the world. The Oktoberfest is very much a collective family experience, with only 6.6% of visitors coming on their own.

The Munich Oktoberfest 2008

Oktoberfest 10 fast facts:

• The Oktoberfest actually commences in September every year, not October. Munich’s first Oktoberfest took place in 1810. Since then it has only been cancelled 24 times due to war or disease.

• The larger beer tents can seat up to 9,000 people and a total of 1800 waitresses serve the festival's beer.

• There are 14 beer tents (or beer halls), each offering their own special brew or entertainment.

• The most popular tent for Westerners is The Hofbrau Festzelt. Here you’ll find a mix of Americans, Australians, New Zealanders and Brits, rubbing shoulders with the locals. Singles and the young crowd frequent the hip The Hippodrum.

• This German beer festival is not only about beer. German wine is also served and there is a dedicated wine tent call the WeinZelt, which offers more than 15 different wines in addition to a variety of sparkling wines and champagnes.

• Traditional Bavarian food is on the menu with German sausages, cheese noodles, suckling pig and sauerkraut, duck, oxen, chicken and salmon. The BBC’s report estimates that half a million chickens will be served over the festival’s 16 days.

• Around 60% of the festivals visitors are aged 30 or less, according to the press release entitled "The Munich Oktoberfest as an Economic Factor," from the city of Munich’s Department of Labor and Economic Development.

• 72% of the festival visitors come from the home state of Bavaria, whilst another 13% come from the rest of Germany, says Munich's Department of Economic Development. Approximately 15% are visitors from abroad, mainly from Europe, the U..S, Australia and New Zealand.

• There are special family days on Tuesdays, with special prices and discounted rides. Throughout the Oktoberfest children are allowed to enter the beer tents accompanied by their parents/an adult, but must leave the festival grounds by 10pm.

• Given the amount of alcohol consumed there are inevitable some problems with drunkenness and over-exuberance, especially in the evening. The Germans jokingly refer to those who have succumbed to too much beer as “Bierleichen”(beer corpses).

The copyright of the article The Munich Oktoberfest 2008 — a Guide in W Europe Travel is owned by Gill Hart. Permission to republish The Munich Oktoberfest 2008 — a Guide in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.