What is Octoberfest all about besides the beer drinking, food and singing? Every year thousands of people from all over the world gather in Munich to celebrate Octoberfest for 2 weeks starting at the last week of September and culminating at the first weekend of October. During this period the streets of Munich are packed with festival goers drinking Bavarian beer and singing songs like “Sweet Caroline” and eating Currywurst.

What is the history of Octoberfest and how did this celebration come about?

The Octoberfest was first a celebration of the wedding of then Prince Regent Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen which ended with a horse race after 4 days of celebration in October 12,1810. This was the birth place of the modern folk festival which throughout the years transformed into what we know today.

The following year after the wedding the people called for an annual folk celebration at “Theresen-Weisse” which is still the current site to date. The celebration transitioned from a wedding celebration to an agricultural event hence the local beer brewing which has become the centerpiece of the modern-era Octoberfest.

We were fortunate enough to get seats at the SchottenHamel tent and I tell you this was a magnificent experience. We were all clothed in the traditional Bavarian “lederhosen” outfit drinking the “mass” or 1 liter beer while singing to tunes and eating pretzels. The atmosphere could rival a concert and the food was good enough to be restaurant quality.

Thank you Munich for the life long memories and a check of my bucket list.

For more information about Octoberfest please visit: https://www.oktoberfest.de/en/magazine/tradition/the-history-of-oktoberfest

For more information about Festhalle Schottenhamel please visit:
https://festhalle-schottenhamel.de/en/

Chef Jappy Afzelius
IG @republikakulinarya
Website: www.republikakulinarya.com