Ein Prosit! This article is mostly based on an Oktoberfest article that appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday, September 24th 2011 on pages H1 and H5 (original link here, now dead). The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the Bavarian prince to the Prussian princess, which unified Germany into one country. Originally a horse race, this festivity has evolved into a huge beer drinking party and has been adopted in other parts of the world, notably where there are many German expats. For a good list of songs played at Munich's Oktoberfest, check out http://www.destination-munich.com/oktoberfest-songs.html. To check out what the original outfits in Germany look like, check out this shop. Apparently the red checkered shirts were originally worn by those from Northern Bavaria (say Nürnberg) and the blue checkered shirts by those from Southern Bavaria (including Munich). Here is the list some of the major Oktoberfests in the world, starting with the original
Table of Contents
- Munich, Bavaria, Germany
- Blumenau, SC Brazil
- Kitchener, ON Canada
- Ottawa, ON Canada
- Vankleek Hill - near Ottawa ON Canada
- Hong Kong
- Brisbane, Australia
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Dublin, Ireland
- Denver CO USA
- Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
- Windhoek, Namibia
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Official website: http://www.oktoberfest.de/de
Since: 1810
Duration: two and half weeks, relaying three weekends. Ends the first weekend of October
Tents: a dozen
Beer: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Spatenbräu (Franziskaner Weissbier at one Biergarten)
Food: Get the half chicken in the tents for 10 €. Try the duck or the pork knuckles. One food stall in the festival area sells pork chop sandwitches (with onion) for 4,50 €
Music: modern hits in German and English.
Other peculiarities: Parade on first weekend. Good place to get real Lederhosen (cheapest would be the Munich train station). Second of the three weekends is Italian weekend. The HB (Hofbräu) tent has mostly standing tables, making it easier to get into without a reservation and one of the more enjoyable places to end the night.
Blumenau, SC Brazil
Official website: http://www.oktoberfestblumenau.com.br/
Since: 1984
Duration: two and half weeks relaying three weekends
Tents: three
Beer: Brahma (official sponsor), however micro and local brews available in the first tent. Kaiser sponsors numerous restaurants in town.
Food: X alemão (you can't get this German burger in Munich! X means hamburger in Brazil)
Music: They copy all the German songs from Munich and throw in some songs in Portuguese.
Other peculiarities: Two parades per week where you can get a lot of free beer poured into your mug, enter the festival area free if you're wearing the Trachten (Lederhosen or Dirnd'l). Third tent has the "gay take-over". May be a good place to buy Dirnd'l, however the Lederhosen in Blumenau aren't made of real leather.
Kitchener, ON Canada
Official website: http://www.oktoberfest.ca/
Since:1967
Duration: a week and half, relaying the 2nd and 3rd weekends of October
Tents: half a dozen
Beer: Molson Canadian (due to official sponsorship)
Food: Schneider's (official sponsorship)
Music: Older Bavarian music than played at Munich's Oktoberfest, some tunes in English. They also play the chicken song.
Other peculiarities: Many people wear hats with a huge feather and collect pins (official merchandise), or any shirt they have that says Germany on it (such as the German national soccer team). Tents have a dance floor where the first part of the night is hosted by German club members who do synchronized dancing and use whips.
Ottawa, ON Canada
Official website: http://www.byward-market.com/events/oktoberfest.htm
Since: 2010
Duration: third Saturday of October
Tents: one (Cornerstone Bar & Grill)
Beer: Draught
Food: saussage with Sauerkraut for $7
Music: Local band, their music isn't of much relevance to Oktoberfest.
Other peculiarities: Those who blow their long horns wear sweaters depicting the Swiss flag. There's also face painting and free wagon rides.
Vankleek Hill - near Ottawa ON Canada
Official website: http://www.beaus.ca/oktoberfest
Duration: one weekend - end September or beginning October
Beau's Oktoberfest in Vankleek Hill, about an hour's drive from Ottawa, just keeps getting bigger and better. This will be the third annual edition and it will spill over three days; 5000 attended in 2010. Entertainment includes Jim Bryson; you can hear such topics as "Voulez-vous brasser avec moi ce soir?" at an expanded speakers' series; eight new brews will be tapped for the occasion. Such dining spots as John Taylor's Genuine, Knox Fine Dining, Ballygiblins, Piggy Market and Cheshire Cat will be serving Bavarian and seasonally inspired food. Round-trip bus transport from Ottawa is also available. Three-day ($35) and one-day ($18) passes are available online at www.beaus.ca, and the brewery store in Vankleek Hill and Bridgehead locations throughout Ottawa. The event is a fund-raiser for Canadian Cross, Good Food Revolution, and VKH Agricultural Society.
Hong Kong
Official website: http://www.gbfhk.com/
Duration: three and half weeks, relaying four weekends (last two in October and first two in November)
The thriving expat community in Hong Kong has done a fine job - since 1992 - of importing lederhosen and sauerkraut for a waterfront Oktoberfest. Expect three straight weeks of lively debauchery - in 2010 nearly 40 000 crammed into a tent for live music and pork knuckles.
Brisbane, Australia
Official website: http://www.oktoberfestbrisbane.com.au/
Duration: 2nd weekend and 3rd weekend of October
The upside of opting for Brisbane's Oktoberfest is Australia's spectacular spring weather. The Aussies do it up right for two weekends, offering a full spread of specialty German dishes, sausages and pretzels and take-home Oktoberfest beer steins. Bottoms up!
Stockholm, Sweden
Official website: http://www.stockholm-oktoberfest.se/
Duration: 1st weekend and 2nd weekend of October
Beer festivals are well underway throughout Scandinavia, but it's Stockholm's Beer & Whisky Festival - also known as Stockholm Oktoberfest - that's made the cut. Swedes add whiskey to the mix for two consecutive weekends, giving visitors the chance to try libations from nearly 100 exhibitors.
Dublin, Ireland
Official website: http://oktoberfest-dublin.de/
Duration: two and half weeks, relaying three weekends
Swap the Guinness for Erdinger this fall at Oktoberfest Dublin, one of the many beer festivals happening around the Emerald Isle. The ode to Bavaria features a mouth-watering menu of bratwurst, Spätzle, Burgundian ham and other traditional German dishes.
Denver CO USA
Official website: http://www.oktoberfestdenver.com/
Duration: two weekends in September
When Samuel Adams is the official sponsor of an Oktoberfest, it's healthy to question the German celebration's authenticity. In this case, though, Jägermeister is also a major sponsor - and so we're in. Coloradans and the 250 000 visitors who stop by each year take competition very seriously: the Stein Hoisting Competition runs over two weekends.
Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
Official website: http://www.oktoberfestvietnam.com/
Duration: two weekends in October
Sacrifice a water puppet show or a trip to Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Min City this October for a hearty helping of German music and food. Oktoberfest Vietnam attracted more than 14 000 guests in 2010 - a tad smaller than Munich's guest list of six million, but it even includes a smaller-scale version of a traditional Biergarten.
Windhoek, Namibia
Duration: last weekend of October
Namibia's capital honours its colonial German roots every year at the country's largest sports club, Sport Klub Windhoek. Rowdy crowds chow down on authentic German cuisine over a fun-filled weekend, serenaded by oompah bands flown in from the ex-Motherland itself.
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