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History of Oktoberfest

The traditional German festival called Oktoberfest was not really a festival at all, but a celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Theressa of Bavaria on October 17, 1810. Held in Munich, the party featured a horse race, beer, food, music and dancing.

Celebrations continued each year, usually starting in late September and ending in the first week of October. Oktoberfests have been held in Munich for almost 200 years. Today, close to a million people show up to consume some 750,000 spit-roasted chickens, more than 800,000 wursts and sausages and around 10 million pints of beer.