It is intensely hot inside the head of the enormous bronze sculpture of Bavaria, an allegorical female figure of the Bavarian land, which from the hill presides over the esplanade where the Oktoberfest, the famous Munich beer festival, is held. You go up to the narrow place by a small spiral staircase that ascends through the interior of the monument – ??pedestal and sculpture are 27.4 meters high – and from here you can see the people through small windows, who look tiny as they circulate in front of the festive tents , the drink, candy and souvenir stalls, and the fairground attractions.
Every year, more than 6 million visitors, German and foreign, come to the two-week Oktoberfest in Munich, drinking up to 7 million liters of beer. This 188th edition of the festival is the second after the two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, and it is experienced as a new universal apotheosis of beer.
Apotheosis also in the prices, which are set by the tents – not by the producers – and reviewed by the Munich City Council. A Mass – this is the name of the liter jug ??– costs between 12.60 and 14.90 euros, 6.12% more than in 2022, a year in which it had already become 15.7% more expensive compared to the edition of the 2019, the last one before the outbreak of the coronavirus.
But this does not seem to deter enthusiasts from this annual two-week revelry in which Bavarian identity, including regional costumes, pulses. They wear the Dirndl, with a bodice, full skirt and apron, and they wear Lederhosen, short pants made of deer leather, although there are also those made of other animals.
Also many foreign visitors – they represent 20% of the visits, and the majority are Austrians, Italians and Americans – dress in that way, with frankly uneven results.
We are now in the Hacker-Pschorr tent, the largest at the Oktoberfest, with capacity for 6,950 people inside and 2,400 on the terrace, in an evening that is pure fun. Diners and drinkers climb onto the benches of the tables lined up to dance and chant loudly to the sounds played by the orchestra, from folk music to international pop. Not necessarily robust waitresses carry up to eight beer mugs in each hand, holding them by the handle.
There are a total of 17 large tents like this one and 21 smaller ones, and they serve only beer from the six authorized brands, all from Munich and meeting certain requirements: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. “On the one hand, we make the drink according to the law of Purity, that is, with only water, hops, malt and yeast, which is an obligation for all breweries in Germany; For the Oktoberfest it also has to be water from the Munich area,” explains Christian Dahncke, brewmaster at Paulaner.
The so-called Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) dates back to 1516 and, with some adjustments, is still in force. “The beer for Oktoberfest is also of higher alcohol content, because it was always considered a festive occasion that deserved it; This year there are between 5.8 and 6.3 degrees,” continues Dahncke.
And then there is the food, another superlative event. At the Oktoberfest, half a million chickens, 240,000 pairs of sausages, and 80,000 pork knuckles are consumed, as well as large quantities of beef and veal.
“This year the party is going very well, because the weather is very good; Last year it rained almost every day,” says Dahncke. Indeed, a blazing sun is falling on the Wiesn – that is the name of the car esplanade –, very hot for October.
The weather is key in this festival, which is actually celebrated in September and only a few days in October. Why is it called Oktoberfest then? The celebration was held for the first time in October 1810 for the wedding of the heir Ludwig of Wittelsbach with Princess Teresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen. (Subsection: as King Louis I, he ordered the erection of the sculpture of Bavaria – Bavaria, in Latin – to boost the self-esteem of his young kingdom.)
The celebrations were repeated year after year, gaining days, and starting in 1904, they were brought forward to September to take advantage of the good weather outdoors. But the name Oktoberfest was preserved. The rule is that the festival ends on the first Sunday in October, but this year’s festival – which began on September 16 – continues until Tuesday, October 3, German Unity Day. There is still time for many sparkling toasts.
