Oktoberfest History
Crown Prince Ludwig I and Theresa.
The Oktoberfest as a formal, organized affair took place for the first time on October 12, 1810. On that day, the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig - who later became King Ludwig I - married Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen. To allow the commoners, too, to partake in the ceremonies, the noble couple decided to organize a wedding party for its subjects on some grazing land outside the Munich city gates - and some 40,000 happy Bavarians showed up for the fun. That meadow, incidentally, was then given its current name of Theresienwiese (Theresa's Meadow), in honor of the Crown Princess, and to this day this meadow is still the site of the annual extravaganza. Strangely, the most popular attraction at the first Munich Oktoberfest in 1810 was horse racing! The fest was such a success that Ludwig decided to repeat the whole show on the anniversary of his nuptials, in subsequent years, with plenty of beer. Already in 1814, the German poet Achim von Arnim reported that the festivities featured an ample array of beer shacks where the people could get their brew in half-liter, tin-lidded steins. Eventually, horse racing was dropped from the program, but more and more beer stands were added to keep the crowds in high spirits, and the festivities were extended to several days. In 1896, the first beer tents appeared. Today, the celebration that the couple had so unwittingly started has become without a doubt the biggest party in the world!
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Ludwig I of Bavaria
Oktoberfest Dates
Sep. 20 - Oct. 5, 2008
Sep. 19 - Oct. 4, 2009
Sep. 18 - Oct. 3, 2010
Sep. 17 - Oct. 3, 2011
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Related Websites
• Alpventures Tours
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• The Wiesn Website
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