Among other privileges, the Lord Mayor of Munich has the pleasure of tapping the first keg and sampling the first stein of Oktoberfest beer--the first of five million or so.
"Ozapft is! (The barrel is tapped!)" shouts the mayor, thus beginning a 16-day orgy of suds, sausage, brass bands, and freundlichkeit (friendliness).
There's nothing subtle about this massive hurly-burly of carnival rides, food stalls, and huge beer tents, each with its own entertainment. In fact, the level of noise and revelry is so high that few visitors can keep up the pace for more than two or three days. That's not a problem: Munich and its environs offer plenty of laid-back alternatives when you need a break from all the hoopla. But for now, let's get back to the beer. . . .
The main action takes place in the Theresienwiese, or Theresa's Meadow, named after Princess Therese, whose 1810 wedding to Prince Ludwig (who later became King Ludwig) spurred a celebratory horse race that would evolve into Oktoberfest.
The size and scope of Oktoberfest is hard to comprehend--even for the most jaded of festivalgoers. There are 14 giant beer tents, the largest of which, the Hofbrauhaus, seats more than 10,000 people. More than 40 smaller tents serve beer, wine, and coffee. At hundreds of food stalls, more than half a million chickens are devoured, as well as 400,000 sausages. Oxen roast away on huge motorized spits, while people whirl around on more than 200 carnival rides. (Be sure to get on the huge Ferris wheel at least once for a bird's-eye view of the festival's massive site.)
The festival begins Saturday morning with a grand entrance of the Oktoberfest bar owners and brewers, who roll in on the expensively decorated, horse-drawn carriages of all the Munich breweries. Behind them come the stereotypically zaftig waitresses on floats and the brass bands that will play in the beer tents. This procession is led by the Münchner Kindl--Munich's symbolic mascot--on horseback, followed by the mayor's festival coach. That evening, traditional Bavarian and international bands perform in Circus Krone.
On the morning of the first Sunday of the event, the huge Costume and Marksmen's Parade brings out marching bands, folk dancers, festooned oxen, and floats from all over Europe. The second Sunday features an open-air big band concert with some 400 musicians from all the Oktoberfest bands. And on the final Sunday, as a grand finale, some 60 marksmen make a farewell salute, accompanied by the band, in the marksmen's tent.•
