History
Munich, Germany 1810
The first Oktoberfest took place in Munich, Germany in 1810 as part of the celebration of the Royal wedding of German Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.
The two were married on October 12, 1810 and the citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities on fields in front of the city’s gates. Forty thousand spectators joined in the fun. The celebration became an annual event, and as the years past, it grew in size to become the biggest public festival in the world.
Oktoberfest is known in Germany as “Wiesn,” taken from “Theresienwiese,” the name of the field on which the festival is held. The field was named after Princess Therese.
Oktoberfest in Munich will be celebrating its 199th anniversary in 2009. It attracts more than 6 million visitors from all parts the world who drink about 5 million liters of beer, 45,000 liters of wine and almost 165,000 liters of nonalcoholic beer. Visitors eat more than 200,000 pairs of pork sausages. Oktoberfest’s huge festival halls, where much of the food and beverages are served, seat 94,000 people. Oktoberfest in Germany lasts 16 days and always ends on the first Sunday of October.
It is estimated that more than 700 Oktoberfests take place in the United States each fall. The interest and popularity of Oktoberfests in this country grew as German immigrants who came to the United States brought the rich Oktoberfest tradition with them.