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Oktoberfest isn’t just for Germans anymore!

So how did this global party start? Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who was later crowned King Ludwig I, wanted his people to share in the celebration of his marriage to Princess Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. Ludwig organized a horse race and invited the entire the people of Munich. The royal party drew some 40,000 guests — a sizeable party, by ordinary standards, but only a tiny fraction of the 6.4 million people at Oktoberfest in recent years. Apparently, everyone enjoyed a good time and copious amounts of beer that first year. It was decided that the horse race would be held again in 1811, this time in conjunction with the state agricultural show.

Although the horse race was eventually abandoned, many features of early Oktoberfest celebrations have remained the same, if not expanded. Munich’s annual celebration still takes place on the original site, called the Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s Fields”), opposite the city gates. The agricultural fair is still a feature, although it now only takes place every three years. The tradition of beer and food stalls, which began in 1818, continues today and is perhaps the most developed aspect of Oktoberfest.

The modern celebration has replaced small tents with giant brewery-sponsored beer halls that can hold up to 5,000 people each. The festival has also grown in length, to become a 16-day extravaganza that ends on the first Sunday in October. The dates of the 2010 festival are from September 18 to October 3. Oktoberfest in Munich has been canceled on occasions in the past due to war and cholera.

The Cavalcade of Costumes and Riflemen takes place on the first Sunday of the festival, in which some 7,000 performers -groups in traditional costumes and historical uniforms, music bands, riflemen, thoroughbred horses and other animals, vintage carriages and numerous floats- – parade through the streets of Munich city center showing the diversity of local, regional and national customs. The second Sunday of Oktoberfest features an outdoor big band concert featuring the approximately 400 musicians that make up all of the Oktoberfest bands.

Between the events and the beer tents, visitors can tour the 103-acre Oktoberfest grounds to ride a Ferris wheel, roller coaster or water slide, navigate a maze, visit a haunted house, be entertained by numerous kinds of performers, check out the flea circus, stop at one of the dozens of game booths, or take a tour of the festival, among other things.

Oktoberfesters in Munich consume more than 5 1/2 million liters of beer, around 45,000 liters of wine and almost 165,000 liters of non-alcoholic beer. The beers that Munich’s breweries produce especially for Oktoberfest contain 4.5 percent alcohol, and the festival halls in Munich have a capacity of 94,000 people.

In addition, attendees consume large amounts of food, most of which consists of hearty traditional dishes. Readily available throughout the fairgrounds are Hendl, whole chickens grilled on a spit and usually sold for half. Variations are roast duck or goose. Roast meats, especially pork, and potato dumplings are accompanied by the traditional red cabbage and apple dish (Blaukohl). Local specialties like roasted oxtails, grilled pork knuckles, or Bavarian Weißwürste, white steamed veal sausages served with sweet mustard, sauerkraut, and pretzels or rolls, are found on almost every menu. Visitors interested in seafood can try fish on a stick (Steckerlfisch) on charcoal.

Smaller appetites are satisfied with potato salad or potato soup, and even vegetarians won’t go hungry, feasting on warm, soft pretzels, breaded cheese plates, or one of the many meatless dishes served at each restaurant. one of the stores. Typical desserts include Dampfnudel, a steamed honey dumpling served with vanilla sauce, apple strudel, and Kaiserschmarrn, a sugary pancake with raisins.

Concessions selling a variety of sweet snacks are also scattered throughout the landscape. From roasted and sugar-glazed almonds (gebrannte Mandeln) to cotton candy (Zuckerwatte), from glazed fruit to ice cream, Munich’s Oktoberfest has something to satisfy every sweet tooth.

A great way to experience Oktoberfest is to spend a few nights enjoying the festivities and culture of Munich and then board the fabulous MS Amalegro, operated by AMA Waterways, on a 7-night river cruise from Nuremberg to Amsterdam. This is a great opportunity to visit central European ports that larger ships cannot reach, while providing the opportunity to relax on a sun lounger enjoying a 360-degree view of Europe as you glide by. This river-friendly vessel will dock in several riverside communities, allowing cruisers to experience Oktoberfest with festivities specific to each town’s traditions.

The largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany takes place each year in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo in Canada, where a large ethnic German population resides. The largest such event in the United States is Oktoberfest-Cincinnati in Ohio, which has half a million visitors each year.

If you love beer (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) or want to partake in a memorable, high-energy cultural festival, I highly recommend you consider Oktoberfest this year.