Oktoberfest is an annual festival celebrated in the month of October for two weeks in Munich, Germany. Recently, the German Government announced that the celebrations of Oktoberfest have been cancelled due to COVID-19. This is the second consecutive year the celebrations are being cancelled in Germany.
What is Oktoberfest
- It is a 16-to-18-day festival that is celebrated in the month of September-October.
- More than six million people from all over the world participate in the celebrations.
- It is called d’Wiesen locally.
- The festival is a part of the Bavarian culture.
- It is being celebrated in the country since 1810.
- During the festival, large quantities of Beer are consumed. In 2013, more than 7.7 million litres were served.
- It was originally celebrated for a duration of sixteen days. After 1994, that is, after German unification this was changed. The festival ends on the first Sunday of October usually. However, after unification of Germany, this was extended to October 3 if the first Sunday falls on October first or October second. October 3 is celebrated as German Unity Day.
- The official ground where the festival is called Theresienwiese. It is an open space of 420,000 square metres. It is named after the Princess Therese.
History of Oktoberfest
The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the celebrations of King Ludwig I wedding with Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. King Ludwig later became King Louis I. He stayed in power till the March revolution or the 1848 revolutions. During the wedding, a parade took place and it has become an annual event sine then.