A Prost to Oktoberfest

But it’s only September! That’s right. The world’s largest folk festival starts in September and goes until the first weekend in October in Munich, Germany. The first Oktoberfest took place in 1810, to celebrate the wedding of Princess Theresa to Bavarian Prince Ludwig. The party was so popular that the celebration became an annual tradition, starting earlier and earlier to draw out the party and take advantage of Munich’s notoriously good weather in late-September. The Theresien Wies’n is the meadow, named after Queen Theresa, that hosts the annual event--just a short walk from the cobblestone streets of Munich’s old town.

The annual Oktoberfest kicks off when Munich’s mayor taps the first wooden keg. Close to 7 million liters of beer flow to the 7+ million visitors for the next several weeks. Travelers flock to Oktoberfest from around the world and the vast majority wear traditional Bavarian Trachten: dirndls and lederhosen. Walking through the Wies’n and into the football field size tents can feel like being at the world’s biggest Halloween party, where everyone is wearing the same costume.

You don’t need to travel during Oktoberfest to enjoy some of Bavaria’s finest brews. The beer halls are not nearly as crowded, but often just as lively, in the winter. Beers are brewed to match the flavor of the season and a winter Lager, named for the cellar where it is stored, tastes remarkably similar to the Oktoberfest beer brewed for the festival, as both are brewed to be enjoyed when temperatures are a little cooler outside.

Does the name “King Ludwig,” whose wedding marked first Oktoberfest, sound familiar? It is his grandson, King Ludwig II, who is the namesake for the König Ludwig Lauf Worldloppet Ski Marathon and whose Neuschwanstein Castle inspired the Disney Castle. Learn more about how beer is brewed from the brewmaster at our hotel (which has its own brewery!) and ski in the König Ludwig Lauf on the Best of Bavaria & Tyrol trip.