12 Fun Oktoberfest Facts

by Joseph Elia

1. Contrary to what many believe Oktoberfest beers have no pumpkin in them. The German purity law or Reinheitsgebot, strictly forbids it...the law states that beer can only be made with barley, yeast, hops, and water.
   
2. Oktoberfest beers are traditionally called Marzens which is German for March.
    
3. Marzens are Bavarian lagers traditionally brewed in March and stored throughout spring and summer to be consumed in…you guest it..fall.
    
4. Oktoberfest is held during the last two weeks of September…this year Oktoberfest will be held September 17th to October 3rd.
   
   
    
5. Munich, Germany is the official home of Oktoberfest.
    
6. Only beers brewed within the Munich city limits can be served at the official Oktoberfest…they are Augustiner-Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spatenbräu, Hofbräu-München.
7. The famous traditional German dress worn by the servers at the event is called a dirndl.
    
   
8. The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race.
    
9. The ceremony was held in a field and the entire town of Munich came.  The field was named Theresienwiese, after Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen and translated means “Theresa’s Meadow”.  That is why locals in Munich still fondly refer to Oktoberfest as "die Wiesn".
    
10. The festivities were prolonged and then moved forward into September to take advantage of the warmer weather.
    
11. The event attracts between 5 and 7 million visitors each year…15% of those are Americans
    
12.  In 2007, Paris Hilton was officially banned from Oktoberfest for appearing at the event in a skimpy dirndl (traditional Oktoberfest dress) promoting a line of canned wine.