Munich beer festival : The feast of beer in Munich or Oktoberfest ("October party" in German) is a party taking place in Munich, Germany. Nowadays, it systematically begins on the first Saturday of the second half of September at noon exactly, ends on the first Sunday in October, unless this is October 1 or 2, in which case the holiday is extended until 3. It therefore lasts from sixteen to eighteen days. The Oktoberfest takes place near the center of Munich, on a 42 hectare wasteland. This site is called Theresienwiese (Meadow of Thérèse) and often shortened by the Bavarians to die Wiesn, "the meadow". By extension, the term also designates the party in general. In order to preserve the family character of the festival, a funfair and catering facilities are set up around the tents. Oktoberfest is the biggest fun fair in the world. There are historical attractions as well as very modern ones.
Created on October 17, 1810 during the feasts which followed the marriage of the future King Louis I of Bavaria with Princess Thérèse of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810, the jubilee of the feast was celebrated in 2010 on the occasion of his 200th birthday . In 2013, it attracted 6,4 million visitors in sixteen days. The celebration begins with a parade of more than eight thousand people wearing traditional costume: the skin panties for the men and the puff-sleeved dress and brightly colored apron (Dirnd) for the women. The public gathers in large festive tents where they can consume beer while listening to music. Around 6 million liters are thus drunk each year.
La beer German is sold inside fourteen giant tents pitched and decorated for the occasion, as well as in more modest tents and in the adjoining “beer gardens” (Biergarten). Beer is served in Mass, one liter mugs. Under the tents, orchestras perform traditional Bavarian songs and music, to which are added, towards the evening, German and international hits. Usually the audience, standing on the benches, takes up these songs in chorus.
Denomination: Oktoberfest 2007, large crowd between tents and fairground attractions with in the background the tower surmounted by a mug of Paulaner beer
The Bavarians generally call Oktoberfest by the term die Wiesn: "the meadow". The party was originally called Theresens-Wiese. It is in particular this term which appears in a writing of the prince-heir Louis on November 19, 1810. Around the year 1815 the name of Theresienwiese begins to impose itself. This term designates by extension the festival which takes place on the meadow, that is to say, the Oktoberfest. The usage truncates this word and the term Wiesen is introduced in writing during the 1890s. The Bavarian pronunciation in turn causes the usage to evolve into Wies'n. In 1985, the Munich tourist office used the written word Wiesn for the first time without apostrophe.
The evolution of the name of the festival contrasts with that which designates the place where it takes place. From 1810, usage enshrined the terms of Oktober-Festen. Despite the loss of the plural over the years, the appellation has changed little to become Oktoberfest. In French, the term literally translates to "October festival", but the usual expression is "beer festival".
Oktoberfest attracts more than six million visitors each year, many of whom are foreigners. They represent around 19% of the people on the Wiesn; among them 17% are Italians, followed by Americans and British. More surprisingly, over 70% of people on Oktoberfest are from Bavaria, only 9% are from the rest of Germany. Since around 2000, more and more tourists have come to the Wiesn in traditional Bavarian clothes, namely the Lederhose for men and the Dirnd for women.
Excessive alcohol consumption by some visitors is becoming a growing problem. In order to preserve the good atmosphere, an initiative was taken in 2005 to empower visitors, under the name Ruhige Wiesn. Likewise, under tents, only traditional German music has the right to be heard until 18 p.m. later pop music is also played, with sound power limitation to 85dB. All of this is done to keep Oktoberfest a welcoming place for families and seniors.