If you want to go one day to the well-known Munich festival, or simply surprise your friends with your knowledge about it, here are some curious facts:
- It is always celebrated on the first Saturday after September 15. Currently it has a duration of 16 to 18 days
- Oktoberfest welcomes an average of 6 million people each year. Of the total, only 19% usually come from outside the country.
- People drink almost 7 million liters of beer in each of the editions.
- Entrance to the 34 tents divided into 14 large and 20 small tents is completely free, but to get a place at a table you have to reserve it in advance.
- It is forbidden to introduce bags or backpacks that exceed 3 liters of capacity. You can't pass glass bottles or drinks or food either.
- Despite being a great celebration, the event has to respect the schedules imposed by the authorities, so the tents close at 11:30 pm, although one can enter from 9 am to the festival.
- Food is a fundamental part of the celebration. As a curious fact, we tell you that the most popular dish is roast chicken. More than 59 thousand pieces are consumed during the days of the celebration. By comparison, only 140 thousand sausages are sold.
- Oktoberfest was used by the Nazi party as political propaganda: in 1938, after the invasion of Austria, Oktoberfest was renamed Großdeutsches Volksfest (Folk Festival of the German Empire). In addition, Hitler was of Bavarian origin and he especially liked this celebration.
- Albert Einstein worked at the festival as an electrician who assisted in the installation of the tents in 1896. He basically placed the light bulbs of his father's company, which was in charge of the lighting of the festival.
- Over 980 toilets are installed during the festival. There are also 83 phone booths, all enabled for international credit cards (in case you have the anguish of calling your ex from the other part of the world)
- There is a long list of lost objects during these 200 years, among which stand out more than 1000 pieces of clothing (the typical jacket that you cannot find), 400 keys, 480 phones, 45 umbrellas, 2 wedding rings (ahem…)
- The festival offers various fairground attractions, traditional Bavarian music performances, puppet shows and various parades. Regular attendees have a tradition of drunkenly rolling off the top of a big hill, but we don't really recommend this much, really.
- It's quite common to see people snorting tobacco. It's common in Bavaria, and you can't smoke inside the tents.
- There is an area known as Kotzhügel or puking hill… little more to add.
- It is estimated that between 600 and 800 people are treated each year for alcoholic congestion in the vicinity of the festival. On the site there is always a Red Cross tent ready to be occupied when needed.
- Visitors are advised to dress appropriately. Wearing Lederhosen or Dirndl (the traditional Bavarian costumes) is not compulsory.Wearing the usual clothes does not attract attention, nor does wearing traditional costumes call it; but if you show up in a crappy stag outfit, you risk offending a good chunk of the festival goers
- Pay attention to how the Dirndl, the typical female dress, is fastened. because there is a historical code that governs the placement of the bow: in front and to the right it means that the woman who wears it is married or in a relationship; in front and to the left means that she is single; and in front and in the center is a sign of virginity; back and center, that she is a widow. Come on, a kind of old Bavarian Tinder.
- Each pitcher of beer costs around €11 and can only be paid in cash. And waiters don't go around: what's left over is considered a tip
LET'S CELEBRATE OKTOBERFEST TOGETHER!
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