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“O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”)
| 2008-09-08 By Brigitte Anders Visitors to the last Oktoberfest consumed nearly seven million litres of beer, over 58,000 pork knuckles and 104 oxen. This year, the world’s biggest public festival will open its doors in Munich on 20th September at 12pm. “O’zapft is!” – it is with these words that Christian Ude, mayor of Munich, will officially open the 175th Oktoberfest beer festival, by the traditional “tapping” of the barrel on Saturday 20th September at 12pm precisely. The “unofficial” preparations always begin two months before: from mid-July, preparations for the festival get underway and the Theresienwiese (Therese’s Meadow) is transformed into a real building site for several weeks. For 16 days – from 20th September to 5th October – the world’s biggest public festival attracts over six million visitors from Bavaria, the rest of Germany and abroad. This festival, which takes place on the Theresienwiese, is also called the “Wiesn” (“the meadow”, in Bavarian). Why is the Oktoberfest so special?The Oktoberfest stands out because it is both a popular Munich festival and a large international event. This distinctive blend of tradition and modernity is what makes the festival special. It has its origins in the celebrations organised by crown prince Ludwig (future King Ludwig I of Bavaria) in honour of his marriage. In 1810, he married princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, who gave her name to the piece of land that hosts the festival in the heart of the city: the Theresienwiese. The Oktoberfest is now considered to be the world’s biggest public festival and has become famous the world over.  Tourismusamt München / Pierre Rouchaléon Highlights of Oktoberfest 2008The first highlight of the festival is, on the opening day, the procession of innkeepers and brewers, an hour before the tapping of the barrel. It is led by the “Münchner Kindl” (“child of Munich” featured on the city’s coat of arms) perched on a horse, traditionally followed by the mayor of Munich on a decorated float. They precede the innkeepers’ barouches, the bands, the magnificent horse-drawn carriages of the Munich breweries, and the stallholders and traders. Nigh on 1,000 people in total take part in this parade. The costume and riflemen’s procession, on Sunday 21st September, is another highlight of the festival. The German television channel ARD broadcasts the event worldwide. Almost 9,000 people take part in the procession, which leaves from Maximiliansstraße and joins up with the Oktoberfestplatz, passing through Munich’s city centre. Here you will see numerous folk dances, customs and costumes of Germany and the neighbouring European countries. This procession, over four miles long, is one of the longest in the world. At the foot of the Bavaria statue on Theresienwiese, the bands from the various tents come together on Sunday 28th September for the great concert of all the Oktoberfest bands, which has now become a ritual. Some 300 musicians from all the bands perform well-known tunes and marches. On the last day of the festival, 5th October, cannons are fired to mark the closethe festival: artillerymen come to fire a salute at the foot of the Bavaria statue.  Tourismusamt München / Robert Hertz Only Munich beerThe Oktoberfest remains the traditional public festival of Munich. This is why it is specified that “only the beer of Munich from the city’s big traditional breweries can be sold.” Fourteen large beer tents (that can seat over 100,000!) are reserved for the festival. The beer sold has an original wort density of around 13% and is brewed by the six main breweries in Munich: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten and Staatliches Hofbräuhaus. It is generally served with delicious Bavarian specialities such as Radi (horseradish), Obatzta (a cheese spread), Schweinswürstl (pork sausages), Brathendl (roast chicken) or Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a skewer). In the Spaten-Franziskaner brewery’s tent, the tradition of the roast ox is continued: whole oxen are roasted on the spit. In the Augustiner and Fischer-Vroni tents, beer is served straight from the barrel. The biggest tent is the Hofbräu’s, which can seat 10,000. 128 small and medium-sized catering companies are also in attendance to keep the visitors satisfied. These “Kleinen Wiesn-Wirte” (little Wiesn caterers), as they are called, attract visitors with their more intimate setting in smaller tents. Over 120 fairground people invite visitors to the “Wiesn-Gaudi” (amusements of the Wiesn). The blend of old and new is typical of the festival. Very spectacular attractions, such as the “Höllenblitz” (figure-of-eight rollercoaster) or “Olympia Looping” (figure-of-eight loop-the-loop rollercoaster) stand alongside traditional activities that are still to be found at the Oktoberfest, such as tiddlywinks, the “Krinoline” (old merry-go-round), “Teufelsrad” (devil’s wheel) and an Oktoberfest institution, the Varieté Schichtl (variety theatre). Practical information
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