Oktoberfest - When Germany invited the World for a Pint

Here at Lit-Tees, we’re generally supportive of any cultural tradition that involves large quantities of beer. So naturally, we have a certain amount of admiration for Oktoberfest.

Because while most countries have beer festivals, Germany somehow managed to take the concept of “a few drinks in a tent” and turn it into one of the biggest parties on the planet.

And frankly, you have to respect that.

So where did it all start?

Oddly enough, Oktoberfest didn’t actually begin as a beer festival.

The first one took place in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese. The citizens of Munich were invited to festivities held on fields outside the city gates, culminating in a horse race.

Everyone apparently had such a good time that they decided to do it again the following year.

And again.
And again.

Somewhere along the way the horses became rather less important and the beer became considerably more important.

A development we can entirely understand.

More than 200 years later, Munich’s Oktoberfest attracts millions of visitors, enormous beer tents, traditional Bavarian food, fairground rides, brass bands and quantities of lager that would make your average British pub landlord start nervously checking the cellar.

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Hang on. Why is Oktoberfest mostly in September?

This is one of the first things likely to confuse the British visitor.

Despite being called Oktoberfest, most of it happens in September.

Apparently, Munich’s October weather was considered a little chilly, so over time organisers moved the festival forward to take advantage of warmer September evenings.

Perfectly sensible.

Although changing the name to Septemberfest presumably involved too much paperwork.

Then there’s the beer.

If your normal drinking habitat is a British pub, your first visit to Oktoberfest requires a certain amount of recalibration.

There’s no standing at the bar debating whether to have a bitter, Guinness or Neck Oil.

Instead, you sit at enormous communal tables while waiting staff appear carrying frankly implausible numbers of one-litre glasses of beer called Maß.

Yes. One litre.

That’s around 1¾ British pints.

So when your German neighbour asks if you fancy “another beer”, remember that he’s essentially suggesting nearly two pints.

Proceed accordingly.

Where are the peanuts?

The other shock for the seasoned British pub-goer is the food.

There are no lonely packets of cheese-and-onion crisps clipped to a piece of cardboard behind the bar.

Oktoberfest food is substantial.

Roast chicken. Sausages. Pork knuckles. Giant pretzels.

Basically all the things you would design specifically if somebody said:
“What meal should we serve someone planning to drink several litres of strong lager?”

They’ve thought this through.

And everybody is dressed up

Another noticeable difference is the clothing.

At home, turning up at your local in leather shorts, knee-length socks and braces might raise a few eyebrows.

In Munich, it means you’ve made an effort.

Lederhosen for the men and dirndls for the women have become a huge part of the Oktoberfest experience, and plenty of visitors now join in.

Which inevitably means thousands of tourists buying lederhosen on Friday afternoon and briefly believing on Saturday evening that they look surprisingly good in them.

Photographic evidence reviewed on Sunday morning may suggest otherwise.

From Munich to Manchester

The extraordinary thing about Oktoberfest is how far it has travelled.

Today, Oktoberfest-style celebrations take place all over the world, from London and Manchester to New York, Sydney, Tokyo and countless places in between.

Huge tents appear. Bavarian bands are booked. Pretzels are ordered. People who have never previously demonstrated the slightest interest in German folk costume suddenly acquire feathered hats.

Why?

Probably because Oktoberfest has stumbled across one of those rare cultural ideas that translates almost anywhere.

Beer + food + music + mates.

That’s essentially the entire business plan.

And we Brits understand that particularly well.

The surroundings might be different, the glasses might be bigger and there may be considerably more organised singing than in your average Saturday night at The Red Lion.

But underneath it all, Oktoberfest isn’t actually that far removed from the great British pub.

You sit around a table.
You drink some beer.
You talk rubbish with your mates.
You make friends with strangers.

And as the evening progresses, everyone gradually becomes convinced that joining in with a song they don’t know the words to is an excellent idea.

 

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In other words, it’s basically the pub.

Just with bigger glasses and more brass instruments.

So, if you find yourself at an Oktoberfest celebration this year, embrace it.

Have the bratwurst.

Wave your giant beer around.

Attempt some German.

Buy the lederhosen if you absolutely must.

But most importantly, raise your Maß to the Bavarians.

Because more than 200 years ago they accidentally invented a wedding party that somehow became one of the biggest beer celebrations in the world.

And for that, we can only say:
Prost!

Check out our fab Oktoberfesty tees below!