Oktoberfest NW History

Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields were renamed Theresienwiese ("Theresa's Fields") to honor the Crown Princess, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to "Wiesn." The royal party drew about 40,000 guests. The official festivities lasted five days and included parades of riflemen, music, eating and drinking. Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria.

The decision to repeat the horse races in subsequent years gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest. In 1811, an added feature to the horse races was the first Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. The horse races, which were the oldest - and at one time - the most popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds.

The tradition of beer and food stands, begun in 1818, continues today and is perhaps the most significantly developed aspect of Oktoberfest. Also in 1818, the first carousel and two swings were set up. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by the enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries. The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a fun-fair. The range of carousels offered was already increasing rapidly in the 1870s as the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany.



		Here are some history facts on how Oktoberfest began ...

		Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.		Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields were renamed Theresienwiese ("Theresa's Fields") to honor the Crown Princess, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to "Wiesn." The royal party drew about 40,000 guests. The official festivities lasted five days and included parades of riflemen, music, eating and drinking. Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in subsequent years gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest. In 1811, an added feature to the horse races was the first Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. The horse races, which were the oldest - and at one time - the most popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds. The tradition of beer and food stands, begun in 1818, continues today and is perhaps the most significantly developed aspect of Oktoberfest. Also in 1818, the first carousel and two swings were set up. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by the enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries. The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a fun-fair. The range of carousels offered was already increasing rapidly in the 1870s as the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany.