Oktoberfest is Calling

The largest folk festival of the world, the so-called "Wiesn," begins in Munich on Sept. 22. More than six million visitors are expected to come to the Oktoberfest, which will last until Oct. 7. The organizers of the 174th celebration have put extra effort into keeping the festival's tradition. The Oktoberfest starts, in contrast to its name, in September, and it will end in the first weekend of October.

The construction works on the "Theresienwiese" (Therese's Green) in the western part of the city begins every year 10 weeks before the Oktoberfest starts. Since July 13, construction works have been going on at the festival grounds, so that the enormous tents will be put up in time. About 12,000 people will work at the Oktoberfest during the festival. Supposedly, Albert Einstein was one of them -- he is said to have screwed in light bulbs at the tents.

The Oktoberfest will not be canceled even if it rains -- 14 large tents offer seats for 100,000 guests. Despite new non-smoking laws, smoking in the tents will be allowed. PR-events are officially unwanted: Last year, the festival administration prohibited an event with the hotel-heiress Paris Hilton and a press conference with the magician David Copperfield. The festival should not become a marketing-party.

The Oktoberfest officially opens with the barrel tapping and the call "O'zapft is!" (it is tapped). At 12 p.m. sharp, Munich's mayor pricks the first beer barrel in the Schottenhamel festival tent. People even bet on how many hits it will take him until the beer starts to bubble. The record of two hits is held by the sitting mayor, Christian Ude, from 2005. The worst performance was achieved by Thomas Wimmer, who was the first mayor to open the festival with a barrel tap. It took him 17 hits.

For the Oktoberfest, the Munich breweries produce a special beer (Wiesnbier) that has more wort and a higher concentration of alcohol. The festival's beer does have its price, however: This year, one liter (about a quarter gallon) costs between 7,30 and 7,90 euros ($9.56 and $10.35). This is 36 cents ($0.50) more than last year. It is still inexpensive compared to the special, limited edition of the "Wiesnkönig-Lederhose," which is especially made for the Oktoberfest. It sells for 495 euro ($686). Hotel guests have to pay extra during the festival, as well. Nevertheless, most of the city's hotel rooms have been booked.

The Oktoberfest is a folk festival of superlatives: The festival grounds are 31 hectares (76 acres) large and visitors can choose among 77 gastronomic services and 229 rides and stores. Every year the guests consume about six million liters of beer, 480,000 roasted chicken, 180,000 pairs of pork sausages and (yes, those are official statistics) 100 oxen.

In the past, Bavaria celebrated many Oktoberfests. That way, the March beer was consumed before the beginning of the new brewing season. The Munich Oktoberfest, however, originated in 1810, for a completely different reason. It was a party in honor of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The meadow's name, Theresienwiese, or Therese's Green, came from the bride's name. Due to the crown prince's interest in Greece, the festival was strongly connected to the Olympic Games. Beer drinking, of course, was then not a scheduled discipline. In 1880, the city council allowed the sale of beer in public.

In 2005, organisers developed a concept of the "Ruhigen Wiesn" (the calm meadow), to keep the traditional atmosphere of the Oktoberfest. Until 6 p.m., only traditional music for brass instruments is played, with a volume of 85 decibel. That way, the festival is accessible for families and elders. This year, the hosts are obligated, due to Bavarian tradition, to allow food from the outside to be brought into the tents next to their beer gardens.

Many of the six million visitors of the Oktoberfest are from abroad, especially from Italy, the US, Japan and Australia. In the last few years there has been a trend among the foreigners to wear traditional Bavarian clothing, so that more and more visitors of the Oktoberfest come in Lederhosen or Dirndl. The festival has imitators throughout the world. Every year, 600,000 to 700,000 guest come to the Canadian Kitchener and the Brazilian Blumenau. The second largest Oktoberfest in Germany is hosted in Hanover.

Oktoberfest is not just beer, roasted chicken and lederhosen. What would a folk festival be without fairground rides? Since the 19th century there have been rides at the Oktoberfest. The "Pemperlprater," the possibly oldest ride, with its 177 years of existence, will this year be part of the Munich Oktoberfest for the first time. The innovations among the 80 fairground rides are a modern auto-scooter and the "Höllenblitz" (hell thunderbolt). According to organizers, they are the largest transportable indoor rollercoasters in the world.

Two traditional highlights of the Oktoberfest are the entrance of the hosts at the festival's start and the costume procession on the first Sunday. There are 9,000 participants in the procession, wearing the historic festive clothing on a seven kilometer (4.35 miles) long path from the Maximilianeum to Therese's Green. Some costume groups even come from Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland (photo) or Norway.

On Oct. 7, the Oktoberfest ends with the traditional call "aus is" (it is over). Many visitors will most likely be going home with a hangover. Bad role models are two men named Hager, who received a certificate in 1901 for drinking 10 liters (2.5 gallons) of beer, each. The Bavarian Red Cross warns from such attempts: Whoever passes out at the meadow could catch a bad cold. Becoming sick is not what real Oktoberfest fans want, because they should be looking forward to next year: in 2008, the 175th Oktoberfest will take place.