In 1873, the festival was cancelled due to a new cholera epidemic. In 1880, electric light illuminated more than Oktoberfest 400 cabins and tents. Bratwurst stalls were opened in 1881, and in 1892 the first beer was served in glass jugs.
After such a spectacular party, the happy couple decided that the same kind of festival should take place annually. In the following years, the galas were repeated every year in October, extended and finally brought forward to September, mainly because of the weather. What many think is just a beer festival is actually much more than that. They’re also traditional parades and concerts, traditional costumes (which everyone is encouraged to wear!), Classic Bavarian food and beer, and much more.
Instead of the 300,000 guests estimated by the city council, more than half a million visitors came. The festival site had to be temporarily closed several times due to overcrowding. In honor of the marriage of Prince Louis and Teresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen, a parade took place in 1810. Since 1850, the parade has grown into an annual event and an important part of Oktoberfest. Eight thousand people, mostly from Bavaria, and dressed in traditional costumes walk from the Maximilian Street through the center of Munich to the oktoberfest grounds.
While we’ll start with more traditional music during the day, we’ll ramp it up at night with a cool music ensemble that combines Oompah music with Pop-Rock, played with traditional metal instruments. For those who stay late, our DJ will make sure the dance shoes have a real workout. It closes during the construction and dismantling of the festival. The city of Munich wants to prevent accidents with visitors on the construction site for which the city would be responsible. There are currently fourteen large tents and twenty small tents at Oktoberfest. Tents are non-permanent wooden structures that are built and used only during the festival.
But in a tent with thousands of people drinking thousands of liters of beer, there is also a clear need for this! For men, this usually means a waiting time of between 5 and 10 minutes in line. For women, this usually means a waiting time of between 10 and 20 minutes in line. Wish list event packages include at least 1 beer tent reservation per person. Depending on the weekend you are in Munich, you may end up in a large tent (capacity 5,000+) or a medium tent (with a capacity of less than 1,000-5,000).
There are many reasons why you might want to know more about Oktoberfest. Maybe you’re planning a trip to Germany and want to fully appreciate the experience. Whatever your reasons, we have everything you need to know about Oktoberfest. There’s no better way to celebrate the arrival of fall in Southern California.