Oktoberfest 2014 Began in Munich
The annual wedding celebration turn beer fest kicked off its 181st go around on September 20th in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with the commencing tapping of the first beer barrel.
What celebration, you might ask? None other than Oktoberfest, the traditional German festival that yields millions of people’s interests yearly. Beginning in late September and running through early October, Oktoberfest is one of the largest festivals in the world. While visiting this event, one can expect to encounter approximately six million visitors over the span of the festival, 6,940,600 liters of beer, 521,872 units of chicken, 100,000 seats in each festival hall, all across 103.79 acres (according to MSN).
“I think statistically they get something like six million visitors in the two week period, so in any city that’s a large festival,” said Urbana High School German teacher Julie Bequette.
So why is this festival so popular? Well, it all started off in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese on October 12th. Munich citizens were invited to join in on the fun of the celebration and 50,000 people attended in total. Beginning as a one day celebration, Munich leaders eventually came to the conclusion that a 16-day event would be more suitable and enjoyable for all- after all, Germans are known to love their beer.
“I think despite its reputation as a giant beer fest, it is actually a very family friendly event…It’s been going on for 200 years so far, so it’s earned a reputation as a fun festival,” said Bequette.
And there is no disputing the “fun” of this festival. With fair rides, traditional German dancing, singing, and eating and drinking, Oktoberfest is definitely an enjoyable time.
What celebration, you might ask? None other than Oktoberfest, the traditional German festival that yields millions of people’s interests yearly. Beginning in late September and running through early October, Oktoberfest is one of the largest festivals in the world. While visiting this event, one can expect to encounter approximately six million visitors over the span of the festival, 6,940,600 liters of beer, 521,872 units of chicken, 100,000 seats in each festival hall, all across 103.79 acres (according to MSN).
“I think statistically they get something like six million visitors in the two week period, so in any city that’s a large festival,” said Urbana High School German teacher Julie Bequette.
So why is this festival so popular? Well, it all started off in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Saxon-Hildburghausen Princess Therese on October 12th. Munich citizens were invited to join in on the fun of the celebration and 50,000 people attended in total. Beginning as a one day celebration, Munich leaders eventually came to the conclusion that a 16-day event would be more suitable and enjoyable for all- after all, Germans are known to love their beer.
“I think despite its reputation as a giant beer fest, it is actually a very family friendly event…It’s been going on for 200 years so far, so it’s earned a reputation as a fun festival,” said Bequette.
And there is no disputing the “fun” of this festival. With fair rides, traditional German dancing, singing, and eating and drinking, Oktoberfest is definitely an enjoyable time.
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