No. 20, 10.X.1996

...but were afraid to ask?!? Last Sunday (1996), the 163. Oktoberfest ended. The exact statistics are not out yet, but it is for sure that the overall visitor record was not broken. This is not really bad news -- as I reported in the last newsletter, it is very full there anyway, and the events of the middle weekend kept many people from going again the week after.

During the last weeks, I was asked several questions about Oktoberfest, and I think I can imagine other questions you might have. So, here is a little questions & answers:

Q.: The first Oktoberfest was in 1810. Why are 24 years missing out of the total number of years??

A.: There were many unpleasant events in the last 200 years of German, Bavarian and Munich history. Already in 1813, there was no Oktoberfest because of the campaign against Napoleon. In later years, cholera, fire, riots, inflation and wars caused the tradition of Oktoberfest to be interrupted. Despite World War II ended in May 1945, there was no Oktoberfest this year. A committee wanted to organize one to distract the inhabitants of the city from the misery everywhere, at least for two weeks. But the Americans, occupying power to Bavaria, prohibited it -- the Germans were defeated, and should not be allowed to celebrate anything. And the local authorities agreed: The willingness of the American people to send CARE parcels might have decreased if they saw photos of the Germans enjoying themselves. But since 1946 -- when (light) beer and snacks were sold for food stamps, and shooting arcades were not allowed -- there was an Oktoberfest every year. Only once, ending the Oktoberfest earlier than usual was considered: in 1980, after the explosion of a bomb placed on the fest by right-wing terrorists, killing 13 and hurting over 100 persons.

Q.: Why is most of the Oktoberfest in September? A.: In a previous issue, I already wrote that Oktoberfest always ends on the first Sunday in October, so the name is still justified. The first Oktoberfest, a horse race held on one single day, was on 17 October 1810. So why did they shift the fest to September? The reasons are simple: The weather is still better in September. That makes more thirsty and is essential for the attractions and rides - - and makes the whole event more enjoyable.

Q.: What music do they play on Oktoberfest?

A.: That a song is played there doesn't mean it is popular in general. If one out of two thirds of the Oktoberfest songs was played on the radio, I (and most other listeners) would turn it off. In nearly all tents, a Bavarian brass band is in charge of all the music -- no playback, only few electric instruments. That mostly results in very odd versions of the songs. The repertoire rages from different traditional brass pieces and marches ("Bayerischer Defiliermarsch", "Radezkymarsch"), over traditional songs (sometimes international ones, mostly with German lyrics), Bavarian and Austrian hits ("Fuerstenfeld", "Hirtenmadl", "Skifahr'n"), German "Stimmungsmusik" ([mostly stupid music to bring people in mood]; "An der Nordseekueste", "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht") to international evergreens and hits ("New York", "Country Roads", "We are the Champions", "YMCA"; new this year: "Macarena"). The later the evening, the more people sing along and dance on the sitting benches. The music always plays a couple of songs, and before their break they always bring the famous "Ein Prosit der Gemuetlichkeit", during which everybody clinks glasses.

Q.: Six million visitors -- how often does the average inhabitant of Munich go to Oktoberfest then?

A.: Well, it's not only people from Munich who go there. I would say about 10-20% are tourists, and also among the people living around the city (in the "Umland") the Oktoberfest is very popular. Some refuse going there at all, not without reasons: It is very crowded, and if you don't drink yourself you don't understand it all anymore after a certain time (you are confronted with 8 000 people singing along "Country Roads" at one time). Among those who go, you find everything: From one time visitors to fanatics who go there every day. Among the guys I know (University students), those who go at all went there between four and ten times this year. With my nine times, I am certainly a bit above average (it's my personal record).

Q.: Every night, the Oktoberfest closes at half past eleven. Why so early?

A.: Many people go there around noon already. They leave at around six or seven, but even at around ten you meet many people who have been there since three or four already. They've had four or five beers and are often done already. For those like me, who usually go at night, seven is a good time to meet. No matter how long the tents are open: The times the people meet remain the same. It's just noon goers who have lunch there, afternoon goers who still want to sit outside for a while or want to walk around a bit, and night goers who mainly want to drink and enjoy themselves. Even the latter had two or three beers by ten, and if it was open much longer, there would be much more trouble with drunken people. And apart from all that: It's only foreigners who don't like the opening hours. Munich natives take them for natural. And when you still want to have a beer after eleven: There are a lot of nice bars around where you can get one. Take me as an example: I went straight home after only three of mine nine visits this year.

MUNICH NEWSLETTER

No. 18, 26.IX.1996

OKTOBERFEST: VISITOR PROFILE

The Munich Oktoberfest is famous for its beer. A conclusion from this fact might be that everybody goes there just to get, well, wasted. Of course this is true for some, but by far not for all visitors. Basically, "everybody" goes there: From little children to grandfathers, men and women. Most are from Munich and its surroundings, but of course there are a lot of "Preissn" [Prussians; in Bavaria general appellation for non-Bavarians] as well. But they do pretty different things.

Of course, children can be found there mainly in the afternoon. Pony rides, merry-go-rounds, Punch and Judy shows, auto scooters and many other attractions are waiting for them. Once a week, there is a "Family day" with reduced fares for all the rides. Often, the mothers take care of the kids while daddy is in an afternoon beer in a tent. There, it is really gemuetlich [*the* word to describe Bavarian lifestyle; pretty untranslatable, especially in its Bavarian meaning; my dictionary says "comfortable, snug, cosy, pleasant"] at this time: Plenty of space, the air is still good, the guests friendly and the waitresses relaxed. This is also the pensioner's favorite time. During the week, the tents fill massively from around 5 PM. The first visitors get up on the benches and sing along, and different folks drop in:

The Oktoberfest is so much an institution in Munich that many firms invite there employees there. Some reserve a table and make it a kind of extra work outing, others just give away beer and food vouchers. As the economic situation is not the best at the moment, there aren't as may vouchers as still some years ago, but they are still an important factor.

Another important visitor group are the tourists. I do not mean guests of Munich inhabitants, which go there with them and do pretty much what they do (see above). I mean "classical" tourists. They are easy to recognize, as they love to uniform themselves (legendary are Kiwis is neon yellow sweaters) and very often wear "typically Bavarian hats" all souvenir sellers offer and only the tourists buy. Even when Bavarians drink, they try (I don't say it always works) to keep up a certain degree of soberness... whereas the tourists seem to love to lose control (at last at this point it is necessary to clarify that I know very well that "the" tourist doesn't exist; what I am outlining, are more a kind of typical patterns of behaviour). Tourists and natives don't mix too much: The Hofbraeu tent has the reputation to be the best among the tourists, and to be the worse among natives; so mainly tourists go there, turning the typical Oktoberfest atmosphere into a spring break like party. But this is also a facette of Oktoberfest, and all those different aspects are what makes it so interesting.

Oktoberfest: "Let's Party"

Oktoberfest is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Worlds Largest Party.

It's too bad this ritual occupies only sixteen days out of the entire year. To think it all started with a wedding celebration between royalty about 200 years ago. Since that time it has evolved from a horse race and potato fair (yes, we said potato fair -- eat your hearts out Idaho), to the worlds biggest beer bash. The figures are staggering: six million liters of beer and 500,000 broiled chickens are consumed by some 6-8 million visitors each year. The Oktoberfest grounds are enormous. Imagine over 50 football fields -- that's how big this Party Zone is.

The stars of the show are the eleven traditional beer "tents," each with a seating capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 people. As a supporting role. there are also 40 smaller beer, wine, and coffee houses. In-between the tents are rides, rides, and more rides. We're not just talking about Merry-Go-Rounds (although they can be fun with a good buzz on). You'll find everything from fun-houses to 5 loop vertical Rollercoasters. Make sure to hop on the Ferris Wheel, it offers the best view of the chaotic madness below. The remaining space is filled by 200 carnival attractions as well as all varieties of Bavarian food and treats.

The following are some tips that will help you survive the fest: Bring lots of money, it's not cheap.

Pretty much everything at Oktoberfest closes at 11pm, but if you're not ready to call it a night just trot along down to the Hippodrome.

Best wishes,

Chris

Homepage: http://bussler.de

Used with permission