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Origins -

The marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later Ludwig I) and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810, was celebrated with a lavish party. The royal couple invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities.

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Theresienwiese -

The grand get-together was held on the fields in front of the city gates, an area of land that came to be called Theresienwiese ("Theresa's Meadow") in honor of the crown princess. The five-day event ended with a spectacular horse race.

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Showstopper -

The following year the race was combined with a state show held to promote Bavarian agriculture. Organized to run as an annual event, the show was canceled in 1813 due to the involvement of Bavaria in the Napoleonic Wars.

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Carnival atmosphere -

The show resumed after hostilities ended, but it wasn't until 1818 that carnival booths selling food and drink appeared along with a merry-go-round, a couple of swings, and a number of bowling alleys.

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Oktoberfest is launched -

The success of these added attractions persuaded the city fathers to launch the tradition known as Oktoberfest.

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October becomes September -

Each year saw the festival expand, attracting an ever-growing number of revelers. But there was a problem: the chilly and often rainy fall weather was proving a real damper with the crowds. It prompted the organizers to move up the start date to September.

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The fun begins -

The longer, warmer days of September served as an added incentive to lengthen the festival. Parades were held outside Theresienwiese, along Maximilianstraße through the center of Munich to the Oktoberfest grounds to complement the activities taking place in the showground.

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Statue of Bavaria -

The statue of Bavaria, the female personification of the Bavarian homeland, was ceremoniously unveiled at Theresienwiese in 1850. She's been watching over the festival ever since.

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Cholera and conflict -

In 1854, the festival was canceled after Munich was stricken by a cholera epidemic. A notable victim was Therese, the queen consort, the very woman to whom the first Oktoberfest was dedicated.

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More cancellations -

In 1866, conflict once again caused the cancellation of the event after Bavaria sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War. Four years later, the Franco-Prussian War stymied proceedings. And in 1873, cholera returned to Munich (Oktoberfest would also be suspended from 1914 to 1918, and canceled in 1923 and 1924 due to global economic turmoil). 

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Food for thought -

But cancellations and conflict couldn't suppress the public's appetite for Oktoberfest. In 1881, booths selling bratwurst opened; in 1885, the first kiosk offering roasted chicken made its debut.

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The glass stein appears -

In 1892, the first beer was served in glass steins as opposed to traditional stoneware mugs.

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"Münchner Kindl" takes the lead -

The end of the 19th century also saw the parade of the Oktoberfest staff and breweries take place for the first time. This event always occurs on the first Saturday of the Oktoberfest and serves as the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration. The procession has traditionally been led by a girl in a black and yellow monk's habit, the so-called "Münchner Kindl."

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100th anniversary -

At the 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest in 1910, an astonishing 120,000 liters of beer was served in the Pschorr-Bräurosl, the largest festival tent at the time with 12,000 seats.

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The Third Reich years -

Every year, new and exciting rides were added to the Oktoberfest program. The festival was held throughout the era of the Third Reich, although the regime used the occasions to promote Nazi propaganda. From 1939 to 1945, no Oktoberfest was celebrated.

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Bigger, better, and brighter -

The immediate postwar years were austere. On two occasions, Oktoberfest was celebrated as a smaller autumn festival. By the mid-1950s, however, festivalgoers were being treated to a bigger and brighter Oktoberfest.

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The beer keeps flowing -

And the beer kept flowing! Here, Oktoberfest waitresses are seen in 1959 busily rinsing beer mugs in an wooden tub.

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Tapping the first keg -

Since 1950, the festival has always been opened with the same traditional procedure: a 12-gun salute at midday followed by the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the mayor of Munich.

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Mass tourism market -

Throughout the 1960s, the numbers of international tourists visiting Munich specifically to attend Oktoberfest increased exponentially as cheaper air travel and the development of mass tourism made the prospect of taking part in the festivities more attractive.

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Oktoberfest in the 1960s -

This is what the Hackerbräu-Festzelt marquee looked like in 1962. Back then, Oktoberfest was still a generally modest and tranquil affair compared with the noisy and energetic program on offer today.

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No more horseracing -

The horse race at Oktoberfest was withdrawn in 1960, but the parades in central Munich remained an important cultural element of the festival. Here, uniformed sappers from Neuss (Rhineland) take part in the 1970 edition of the festival.

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Oktoberfest bombing -

On September 26, 1980, a bomb planted in a trash can exploded outside the main entrance to the showground, killing 13 people including the perpetrator, Gundolf Köhler. It was later established that Köhler, a far-right extremist, was likely working on his own, though his links with various neo-Nazi groups suggested to many that his actions may have been sanctioned by others.

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"Oide Wiesn" tradition continues -

Today, the festival known by locals as "Oide Wiesn" after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, maintains a 200-year-plus tradition. And it's still announced by the tapping of the first keg.

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Oktoberfest today -

The arrival of the innkeepers for the opening of Oktoberfest is still heralded by a procession of typical horse-drawn carriages, each promoting a particular brand of beer.

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The Oktoberfest waitress -

The life of an Oktoberfest waitress is a mesmerizing blend of endurance, charm, skill, and strength. Each attired in a traditional dirndl dress, these women embody the festival's energy and spirt.

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Boozy statistics -

And Oktoberfest does tend to work up a thirst! According to Statista, in 2023 around 6.5 million liters of beer were poured at the festival, an increase compared to the year before.

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Fairground attractions -

"Oide Wisen" is famous for its fairground attractions. Carnival nostalgia is represented by rides such as the rotating chain flyer from 1919 known as the Kettenflieger Kalb, and the Krinoline, the festival's original carousel dating back to 1925.

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A view from the Theresienwiese -

A favorite attraction is the Ferris wheel. Looming over the entire Theresienwiese, the 164-foot (50-m) wheel features 40 gondolas each with space for 10 people. The views are simply jaw-dropping.

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Oktoberfest's celebrity visitors -

It's no surprise that an event as prestigious as Oktoberfest draws its fair share of celebrities. Pictured here is Arnold Schwarzenegger, taking a selfie with a couple of traditionally-dressed fans.

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Kim Kardashian -

Kim Kardashian is another A-list celebrity who can't resist Oktoberfest's beer and Bavarian pretzels.

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Harry Kane -

And enjoying his beer and pretzel is Harry Kane, the captain of the English soccer team, who currently plays for FC Bayern Munich.

Sources: (Oktoberfest) (Bavaria Trachten) (Statista) (Britannica) (National Geographic) 

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