German tradition and the country’s largest breweries join forces for a 16-day feast, during which the city of Munich shows its most merry face. Due to the immense quantities of beer, the traditional mouth-watering Bavarian foods, the impressive parades, and the spectacular amusement park, Oktoberfest is an unforgettably cheerful feast!

The tradition of Oktoberfest began on October 17, 1810, during the wedding of princess Theresa of Saxony and Ludwig I, heir to the Bavarian throne. After the ceremony, there was an extensive series of festive events, which lasted for sixteen days and was opened to all the residents of Munich. The festivities finally closed with incredible horse races held before the royal family. The decision to replicate these races in the following years led to the accidental establishment of what is today the largest and most popular feast in all the world.

Over a century later, the German public abandoned these horse races, instead replacing them with other attractions and extensively refining the German fairground. Beginning with the first carousel and swings set up for the entertainment of spectators in 1818, today, the fairground is comprised of a plethora of carousels, along with myriad exciting roller coasters. 


During the second year of the festival, the Germans added an agricultural show to the series of events, an affair which still makes its appearance every three years or so. By 1896, the event organizers had replaced the beer stands with brewery-sponsored tents. Another change was that over the years, the festival’s traditional starting date of October 17th was pushed earlier and earlier and today, it is held during September primarily because the weather is nicer.


As the largest beer festival in the world, the festival attracts about 6,000,000 visitors from around the world each year. On average, half a liter of beer is consumed every three seconds. The nucleus of the festival is the fourteen beer producers, each of which sets up elaborate tents on the festival grounds, complete with a music band and exuding their company’s own special character. When viewed as a whole, the tents cover all tastes, flavors, and varieties of beer, offering guests unforgettable moments of pleasure and amusement. Containing the equipment of your typical beer house, the tents are situated consecutively on parallel streets. As mentioned earlier, the other main attraction on the festival grounds is the impressive amusement park, centrally located and accessible from everywhere.


The great success of Oktoberfest, however, results not only from the gallons upon gallons of beer that is consumed, but also from the fact that the festival is a tribute to German tradition. The celebrations entail elaborate folklore parades full of decoration, color, and high spirits, beginning with the "Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries," a large parade of beer house owners. The families of the landlords march through the central roads of the city, wearing traditional costumes and seated atop decorated carriages with beautiful horses. Cheerful beer house waitresses and a variety of bands accompany them, enthusiastically welcoming the visitors to the city.


Another particular highlight of the festival is the famous "Costume and Riflemen's Parade," that is held on the first Sunday of Oktoberfest. Thousands of participants clad in traditional costumes parade through town with decorated carriages, cows, goats, flowers, and flags, in addition to the bands. Together, they create together an impressive flash back to the history of the German federation. Dancing in the heart of town, they revive the customs and traditions that make Bavaria truly unique.


On the second Sunday of the festival, the beer houses' bands perform under the Bavaria statue for the public in the center of town. With over 400 band members, the tent bands of Oktoberfest have acquired a cult-like following, drawing to the statue hordes of music lovers from around the continent.


Honoring the tradition of the Oktoberfest, the beer house "Octoberfest" in Athens holds its very own beer festival during the same allotted period as the festival in Munich. Octoberfest Athens "dresses up,” enlisting the traditional barrel beer of Munich to satisfy the demands of the public. Many small gifts, such as commemorative T-shirts, hats, glasses, etc., are handed out to the festival's participants, while during these 16 days there is a 15% discount at the house's gift shop.  There are beer drinking contests with elaborate prizes for the winners, like an all-expenses-paid-for trip to Munich.