Oktoberfest: What To Know About U.S. Festival Of German Beer, Culture

ACROSS AMERICA — If you think Oktoberfest is just an excuse to drink beer, you couldn’t be more wrong.

There is beer at most Oktoberfest celebrations, of course. But authentic Oktoberfest celebrations include traditional Bavarian music, people wandering around in dirndls and lederhosen, and traditional eats.

The traditional German folk festival in Munich draws about 6 million visitors who drink about 2 million gallons of beer during its 16 to 18-day run over three weekends. This year, Oktoberfest in Germany started Sept. 16 and continues through Oct. 3.

Oktoberfest is a relatively new tradition in North America. It is popular, especially with the approximately 16 percent of U.S. citizens whose ancestors were German immigrants, but its appeal is universal.

In many cases, U.S. Oktoberfest celebrations stretch into October. Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest in California goes through Nov. 5, according to a listing on the website Germanfods.org. In Maryland, Pierz Oktoberfest in Hagerstown was held in August.

There are at least 150 major Oktoberfest celebrations in North America. Below are five things to know about Oktoberfest:

How Did Oktoberfest Start?

The first Oktoberfest in 1810 wasn’t a celebration of beer at all, but rather to the celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildurghausen, according to the official Oktoberfest website.

The citizens of Munich were invited to join the five-day party held on the fields in front of the city gates, now known as Theresienwiese (Therese’s meadow). It lasted for five days, from Oct. 12-17, with each day featuring the food, beer, parades and music that have endured for more than two centuries. The celebration ended with a horse race around the edge of Munich.

Why Isn’t Oktoberfest Just In October?

“Oktoberfest” is somewhat of a misnomer — although when the first such celebration of German beer and culture was held entirely in the month of October when it stared in 1810.

As the festival grew in popularity and more days were added. The start of Oktoberfest was moved to September because days are longer and warmer. It meant celebrants could stay out later without getting chilly.

In Some Places, It’s ‘Octoberfest’

To be true to tradition, Oktoberfest is spelled with a “k” because the 10th month of the year is written as Oktober in German.

Some U.S. celebrations use the English spelling of October, thus calling it Octoberfest. More stick to the traditional spelling in deference to the German culture.

When Did Oktoberfest Start In U.S.?

The first U.S. Oktoberfest was held in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Civic leaders there had agreed La Crosse needed a communitywide celebration and had talked about an annual winter carnival, but shelved the idea, primarily due to the unpredictability of the weather, but also because such events weren’t unique in cold northern states.

At the same time, officials at the La Crosse-based G. Heileman Brewing Co. were discussing an annual promotion, according to the history of the event on the Oktoberfest USA page. When a couple of employees of German origin who worked in the malt house got wind of it, they suggested an autumn festival similar to the one in Munich.

An ambitious plan emerged, and it became apparent to Heileman officials that they’d need help pulling it off alone. In early 1961, the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce agreed to sponsor the Oktoberfest celebration, which has become an annual tradition.

La Crosse’s Oktoberfest USA celebration starts Friday and runs through Sunday.

First, But Not The Largest

Although La Crosse was the first to hold a U.S. version of the Munich festival, honors for the largest such festival in this country goes to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Showcasing the rich German heritage of southwest Ohio, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was first held in 1976. In 2021, it drew 700,000 people to downtown Cincinnati, where sections of two streets were transformed into a Bavarian village offering German-style food, beer and entertainment.

The Cincinnati festival was held last month.