Oktoberfest in Germany is big business. The annual event in Munich draws $1.1 billion in sales, 6 million visitors, half a million rotisserie chickens, 1.7 million gallons of beer sold and 29 tents with a volume of 130,000 seats.
Munich's Oktoberfest takes place for two weeks every year. It is the original Oktoberfest, and is now copied worldwide. It was first celebrated in 1810 for the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and his bride, Princess Therese. Since then, the biggest folk festival in the world changed massively.
In mid-September, the area around Theresienwiese is crowded with people and it seems they have gone crazy. More than 80 fun rides, 144 restaurants and 29 wooden buildings - called festival tents - are built at each festival.
The festival is steeped in tradition.
The annual keg-tapping is in "Schottenhamel-tent," which officially opens the Oktoberfest. There the mayor of Munich has to tap a keg with as few strikes as possible (all-time record is two), while the crowd cheers.
Another tradition is the opening procession where the brewery-presenters, the mayor, the carnies and marching bands move into the festival area with horse buggies and parade floats. The procession is always led by the "Muenchner Kindl." Originally the name of the symbol on the Munich coat of arms, it has since morphed into a mascot personified by a child.
The flea circus, for example, have real-life performing fleas.
Oktoberfest is also known as "Wiesn" in Germany, the short version of Theresienwiese. When people set meetings at Oktoberfest, they often just say "let's meet at the Wiesn."
On the Wiesn, there is the tradition of "Wiesnwirte." Those Wiesnwirte are the license owners for the beer tents. And there are only 29 of them, most with between 7,000 and 11,000 seats. Fourteen own the big tents, which bring a huge amount of money and are in great demand. But those licenses often stay in the family. It's a big business with months of advance preparation.
For Munich residents who are not so addicted to the Oktoberfest, the time in the year is most cruel: You can't take the U-Bahn (underground railway) or S-Bahn (suburban railway) to work or university, because it's overflowing with tourists. You can't get a hotel room for visitors or business partners, because it's overflowing with tourists. And you really won't walk through the festival area or the blocks nearby. Tourists are everywhere, the little Italian and Japanese guys, the American families and the Australian surfer boys. Most are drunk. Not so much the families, but the boastful young men. And they also think it's stylish to wear cheap, Chinese imitations of traditional German clothes like Dirndl and Lederhosen. Really? Guys, this is a big fashion affront to the Bavarian culture! Munich citizens feel mortally offended.
In the tents, which are also overcrowded by tourists in their fake "Trachten" (Bavarian costumes), it's better to reserve seats before joining the Oktoberfest. But if you're finally in the tent, have a seat and enjoy the noise, your babbling Italian neighbors and your $12 liter of beer in a mug. You'd think the price should stop people from drinking too much - it doesn't. This is one of the many reasons why the Munich people like to make fun of the poor, drunken tourists. The Oktoberfest tourists are jokingly nicknamed "reality refugees" after the real refugees that began streaming into Germany two years ago.
They often do really stupid things like fleeing from the Munich police with a beer mug in their hand. To bring the mugs outside the tents or try to take them home is forbidden. Nevertheless a lot people try to do it. And to be fair - a lot of German guys like to do this as well. But stein burglary isn't just a pretty theft, it's a criminal act. The police are allowed to arrest the thieves.
At least mostly no one is hurt because of this crime.
A real disadvantage making Oktoberfest less attractive is the risk for young women. Every year, the media reports of sexual harassment and rapes, often based on date-rape drugs in drinks. The public broadcast service and other media offer advice in advance on how to protect yourself.
For the guys, the most dangerous thing during Oktoberfest is fist fights. A lot of young folks like to have a test of strength after several mugs of beer. Oh, and that doesn't depend on nationality. Germans as well as Italians and Americans can go nuts after enjoying too much of the traditional brew.
But how is it possible the people drink so much of the "golden, heavenly liqueur," as the Bavarians refer to their beer? Just one word: toasts!
Toasts are done the whole day long. It starts with the first day when the mayor taps the keg and then yells "O'zapft is!" into the crowd. That means the ball is open and the beer is flowing for the next two weeks. People clink steins like every five minutes. They sing or say "Oans, zwoa, gsuffa" (Bavarian dialect meaning 'one, two, drink'). Even the marching band stops playing every 20 minutes and cries three times in a row "die Kruege, hoch!" - an invitation to take the mugs up, then clink with everybody around, say "prost!" - cheers - and finally have a huuuuuge sip - again and again.
And even if the Oktoberfest has changed much since its beginning, its original idea of celebrating with friends and family remains. And no matter how much Munich citizens rail about Oktoberfest and the tourists and other consequences, we also love our visitors and our folk festival - Munich without this is unimaginable. What better way to have a beer and spend some time together with people from all over the world?
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