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Oktoberfest celebrations

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This article is about Oktoberfest celebrations around the world. For the original festival in Munich, see Oktoberfest.

The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants.


Oktoberfest around the world

The largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany is the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest in the twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (700,000+ visitors [1]). Other cities claiming to be the largest Oktoberfests outside of Germany include Blumenau, Brazil (600,000+ visitors, 1,000,000+ in 1988 and 1992 [2]) and Cincinnati, Ohio, United States (500,000+ visitors, [3]). On the other hand, Oktoberfest is spreading to new geographical locations. Since September 2007, even Montreal boasts its own Oktoberfest.

United States

In the United States, there are Oktoberfest celebrations right across the country, with the largest in Cincinnati, OH. There are major celebrations at The Delaware Saengerbund in Newark, Delaware (www.delawaresaengerbund.org); Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona; Big Bear City, California; Campbell, California; Alpine Village in Torrance, California; Denver, Colorado; Helen, Georgia; Frankenmuth, Michigan (The first Oktoberfest outside of Munich to be sanctioned by the Parliament and the City of Munich.); Hermann, Missouri; Irondequoit, New York; Hickory, North Carolina; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Mt. Angel, Oregon; East Allegheny, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Newport, Rhode Island; Addison, Texas; Boerne, Texas; Fredericksburg, Texas; Galveston, Texas; Seymour, Indiana Muenster, Texas (their version is called "Germanfest" and is held in April); New Braunfels, Texas (called Wurstfest) and Shiner, Texas as well as at least 11 Texas towns beyond those mentioned[4]. Also the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, WA; Appleton, Wisconsin; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, among many. Minster, Ohio Berea, Ohio and Wilmington, Ohio also have Oktoberfests.

South America

In Brazil, several southern cities, populated by German people in the 19th and 20th centuries, have their own Oktoberfest, the largest being in the aforementioned Blumenau, Santa Catarina, and Igrejinha, Rio Grande do Sul. While in Argentina it is celebrated in Villa General Belgrano in the Province of Córdoba. In Chile bierfests are celebrated both in Valdivia and Llanquihue.

Hong Kong

The Oktoberfest was started in Hong Kong in 1992. It is celebrated in late October and early November (dry season in Hong Kong) and is hosted by Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, just next to the Star Ferry pier.

For the festival, the Marco Polo Hotel sets up a traditional tent with long wooden tables and benches with capacity for approximately 1,500 persons to create an Oktoberfest atmosphere. The German Band Die Notenhobler from Ulm, Germany entertains the approximately 85% Chinese audience. Their program starts at 19:30 every night and comprise of three parts: traditional German music, games and competitions, party music.

The hotels caters traditional Southern German foods, such as pork knuckle, sausages with sauerkraut and apple strudel together with beer (past beer sponsors were 1991-1999 Löwenbräu; 2000-2002 Veltins; 2003 Jever; 2004-2005 Löwenbräu).

In 2005 the festival was held from October 14 to November 3 with some additional dates for private functions, which is popular for staff parties of large corporations.

Ireland

Downes Pub in Waterford have been celebrating the Oktoberfest annually since 2002 and their celebration culminates in an evening in October that features German beer-drinking music from the City of Waterford Brass as well as a wide selection of imported German beer.

Australia

In Australia, the universities are notorious in their celebrations of Oktoberfest every year, and as students graduate and move on, this has rolled over into pubs and restaurants in the university areas.

Canada

Tatamagouche holds Nova Scotia's largest Oktoberfest - each year over 3,000 partygoers attend the North Shore Bavarian Society event.

Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario claims to hold the world's largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Germany, attracting over 700,000 visitors annually.

Hanover

An entrance arch to Oktoberfest Hannover in 2005

The Oktoberfest Hannover is a fair which takes place every year at the end of September/beginning of October in Hanover, Germany. It usually lasts 16 days and features 160 rides and inns, two large beer tents seating more than a thousand people each, and numerous stands offering refreshments. With more than one million visitors each year, it is the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world.

See also

North America

Canada

United States

Mexico

Oceania

Asia

South America

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Notes

  1. ^ Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest
  2. ^ Blumenau Oktoberfest
  3. ^ Cincinnati Oktoberfest
  4. ^ "German-Texans," Texas Almanac 1996-1997
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