145 Fun Facts About Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is held on the Theresienwiese, a meadow just outside the old walls of which city?

It takes place on the Theresienwiese, a 42-hectare meadow just outside the old city walls, known to locals simply as the Wiesn.

What event did the very first Oktoberfest, in October 1810, celebrate?

Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen and the citizens of Munich were invited to party in the fields.

Which song do the tent bands strike up every few minutes, ending with everyone drinking together?

'Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit' ('a toast to cosiness'), a 19th-century drinking song, is played roughly every quarter of an hour in the tents and ends with the whole hall raising its mugs.

What was the main attraction at the first Oktoberfest in 1810?

About 40,000 people watched from a natural hillside grandstand; the race, not the beer, was the core tradition for decades.

Despite its name, in which month has most of Oktoberfest fallen since the 19th century?

September hosts most of the festival: the opening was moved into late September during the 19th century to take advantage of warmer evenings, so only the final days fall in October.

Roughly how many visitors does Oktoberfest attract each year?

Around 7 million: attendance peaked at a record 7.2 million in 2023, and most recent years have drawn between six and seven million visitors over the roughly 16-day run.

Which Bavarian phrase does the mayor shout after tapping the first keg?

'O'zapft is!' means 'It's tapped!'; the ritual has opened the festival since Mayor Thomas Wimmer's first tapping in 1950.

In which tent does the mayor tap the first keg at exactly noon on opening day?

The mayor taps the first keg in the Schottenhamel tent at noon; only after a gun salute from the steps below the Bavaria statue may the other tents start pouring.

Crowds bet on how many mallet strokes the mayor needs to tap the first keg. What is the record best?

Christian Ude and Dieter Reiter both managed it repeatedly; the worst on record is Thomas Wimmer's 19 strokes in 1950.

Traditionally, who is served the very first litre of Oktoberfest beer?

The mayor does the tapping, but the head of the Bavarian state government gets the first Maß.

Which mascot leads the Oktoberfest parades, followed by the mayor in a horse-drawn carriage?

The Münchner Kindl ('Munich child') is the little monk from Munich's coat of arms; in the Oktoberfest parades the role is played by a young woman on horseback.

How many breweries are allowed to sell beer at Oktoberfest?

Six: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten, all brewed inside the Munich city limits.

Which of these breweries is NOT allowed to pour beer at the original Oktoberfest?

Erdinger is brewed in Erding, outside the city, and only beer brewed within Munich's limits qualifies as Oktoberfestbier.

Which pastry, sold by the basketful, is the classic snack in the Oktoberfest tents?

The pretzel, Brezn in Bavarian, is sold by the basketful in the tents, often in giant Wiesnbrezn size, and is the classic partner for Obatzda cheese spread.

Which paler style has largely replaced Märzen in the tents since the late 20th century?

Festbier, a paler, lighter-tasting lager than the amber Märzen, took over the tents in the late 20th century; it is brewed to the same festival strength of around six percent.

Which Bavarian sausage, made from veal and pork, is traditionally eaten before noon at Oktoberfest?

The saying goes that a Weisswurst must not hear the noon church bells; it is served with sweet mustard and a pretzel.

What is the unofficial Oktoberfest sport in which competitors hold a full litre mug out at arm's length?

A full Maß weighs well over two kilos, and the record holders manage twenty minutes or more.

Which two colours, taken from the Bavarian flag, dominate Oktoberfest tent decorations?

White and blue, the lozenge colours of the Bavarian flag, cover the tent ceilings, the beer-garden tablecloths and the bunting across the whole Wiesn.

Which brothers, directors of the 1910 Oktoberfest centenary parade, made dirndls and lederhosen everyday fashion?

Julius and Moritz Wallach, whose Munich folk-costume house organised the 1910 centenary costume parade, dressed Bavarians who had never worn Tracht in their lives.

Which Bavarian folk dance involves rhythmic slapping of the thighs and knees?

The Schuhplattler, from the Alpine regions of Upper Bavaria, Tyrol and Salzburg, has dancers strike their thighs, knees and shoe soles in rhythm, originally as a courtship display.

A pipe bomb at the Oktoberfest main entrance in 1980 killed how many people?

It was Germany's second-deadliest terror attack; every public rubbish bin on the grounds was removed afterwards and never came back.

What officially closes Oktoberfest at noon on its final Sunday?

A gun salute: the Böllerschützen fire a farewell volley on the steps of the Bavaria statue at noon on the last day, the traditional official end of the festival.

For which two years was Oktoberfest cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

2020 and 2021: the pandemic forced the first cancellations since the Second World War, which halted the festival from 1939 to 1945.

Which disease forced Oktoberfest to be cancelled in both 1854 and 1873?

Cholera epidemics cancelled the festival in 1854 and 1873; wars did the same in 1866 and 1870.

Which colossal 1850 bronze statue overlooks the festival grounds beside the Ruhmeshalle?

Designed by Leo von Klenze and sculpted by Schwanthaler, it was the first entirely bronze colossal statue since antiquity, and visitors can climb inside her head.

Since 1994, how many days does Oktoberfest normally last?

16 days: it opens on the first Saturday after 15 September and normally ends on the first Sunday in October, though in some years a public holiday extends it to 17 or 18 days.

Roughly what share of Oktoberfest visitors come from the festival's home state?

About 72 percent of visitors come from Bavaria itself, with Italians famously arriving in caravans for the second weekend.

Which Italian city has sent police officers to help manage Oktoberfest crowds since 2005?

Bolzano, capital of German-speaking South Tyrol, has sent officers since 2005 to help especially on the second weekend, when Italian visitors flood in.

What did the 2005 'quiet Oktoberfest' rule restrict in the tents before 6 pm?

Until 6 pm the bands may play only traditional brass music, capped at 85 decibels, to keep afternoons family-friendly before the party music starts in the evening.

How many large tents did Oktoberfest have in 2025?

Plus about 20 small tents; each big tent belongs to one of the six breweries, while a few small ones serve wine instead.

Which tent hosts 'Gay Sunday', the heart of the Rosa Wiesn, on the festival's first Sunday?

Bräurosl has hosted Gay Sunday since the 1970s, when a Munich gay club first booked its balcony; it anchors the Rosa Wiesn programme on the festival's first Sunday.

Which Munich mayor tapped his first Oktoberfest keg in 2014?

Dieter Reiter, elected mayor in 2014, tapped his first keg that September, taking over the ritual from Christian Ude, who had performed it since 1993.

What is the main ingredient of Obatzda, the Bavarian spread served in the beer tents?

Ripe Camembert: Obatzda is made by mashing soft cheese with butter, paprika and chopped onion, a beer-garden dish said to have been devised to use up over-ripe cheese.

At what time do the Oktoberfest tents open on an ordinary weekday?

10 am on weekdays: the tents open an hour earlier, at 9 am, on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, though on opening day no beer is poured before the noon tapping.

Which country hosts the Blumenau Oktoberfest, drawing about 600,000 visitors a year?

Brazil: Blumenau, in Santa Catarina, was founded by German immigrants in 1850, and its Oktoberfest, begun in 1984, fills the purpose-built Vila Germânica events park.

Which Chinese city hosts a beer festival modelled on Oktoberfest that draws about three million visitors?

Qingdao was a German colony from 1898 to 1914, which is why the Tsingtao brewery exists at all.

What is the English title of the 2020 German drama about a ruthless brewer at the 1900 Wiesn?

Oktoberfest: Beer and Blood (German title Oktoberfest 1900) aired on ARD in 2020 before Netflix took it worldwide; its brewer anti-hero replaces the small beer stands with one giant pavilion.

In 1933, whom did the Nazi regime bar from working at the Wiesn?

Jewish people were barred from working at the Wiesn from 1933; the Nazis used the festival for propaganda until it was suspended for the war in 1939.

Which two other big events share the Theresienwiese grounds each year?

The spring festival is essentially a smaller Oktoberfest, and Tollwood is a winter arts and food market in December.

Roughly how many toilets and urinals are provided on the Oktoberfest grounds?

About 1,800 toilets and urinals serve the grounds; organisers once considered jamming phone signals in the loos to speed people up, and instead play background music there.

Since 2012, all Oktoberfest businesses have been supplied with what kind of electricity?

Certified renewable power: the municipal utility Stadtwerke München supplies the tents and rides with certified green electricity, with every tent wired to two substations in case one fails.

In which year did electric light first illuminate the booths and tents of the Oktoberfest?

1880: the electric light lit more than 400 booths and tents that year, while the festival's horse race remained its centrepiece.

Which National Guard major is officially credited with proposing the first Oktoberfest's horse race?

Andreas Michael Dall'Armi, a major in the National Guard, formally proposed the race; coachman Franz Baumgartner later claimed the idea for himself, and his horse won.

Which medieval Munich race was the 1810 Oktoberfest horse race modelled on?

The Scharlachrennen had once been run at the Karlstor city gate.

Which rise served as a natural grandstand for 40,000 spectators at the first Oktoberfest?

Sendlinger Hill, the rise on the western edge of the meadow, was the natural grandstand for the 1810 race; the area later took the name Theresienhöhe.

What was added to Oktoberfest in 1811 to promote Bavarian farming?

An agricultural show was added in 1811 to promote Bavarian farming; its successor, the Bavarian Central Agricultural Fair, sets up on the southern end of the grounds.

Which conflict caused Oktoberfest to be cancelled in 1813?

The War of the Sixth Coalition: Bavaria, which switched from Napoleon to the Allies under the Treaty of Ried in October 1813, held no festival that year.

In which year did Munich's council take over Oktoberfest and make it annual?

1819: Munich's city council took over the management that year and decided the festival should be held annually; lottery booths offering silverware, porcelain and jewellery as prizes had appeared in 1818.

In which year was the Oktoberfest horse race, its founding event, run for the last time?

1960: the horse race that had opened the first Oktoberfest was revived for the 150th anniversary that year and has not been run since.

Which war caused Oktoberfest to be cancelled in 1866?

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866, in which Bavaria fought on Austria's losing side, cancelled the festival; the Franco-Prussian War forced another cancellation in 1870.

Roughly how many guests could the Bräurosl pavilion seat when it opened in 1913?

About 12,000: the Bräurosl pavilion of 1913 was the largest beer tent ever erected on the Wiesn; Bräurosl is one of the Hacker-Pschorr tents.

What economic crisis cancelled Oktoberfest in 1923 and 1924?

Hyperinflation, which peaked in late 1923 and destroyed the value of the paper mark, made the festival impossible in both 1923 and 1924.

What modest name was given to the event held on the Wiesn from 1946 to 1948?

Autumn Fest (Herbstfest) was the modest name used from 1946 to 1948; the festival resumed under its full name in 1949, and the mayor's tapping ceremony began in 1950.

How many gunshots are fired from the Ruhmeshalle steps to signal that beer may be served?

Twelve: the gun salute fired from the steps of the Ruhmeshalle, below the Bavaria statue, tells the other tents that the mayor has tapped the first keg.

Who was King of Bavaria when the first Oktoberfest was held in 1810?

Maximilian I Joseph, Bavaria's first king from 1806, was the father of the bridegroom, Crown Prince Ludwig; the 1810 festivities celebrated his son's marriage.

Which festival host started the entry parade in 1887 by marching to the Wiesn with beer?

Hans Steyrer, the innkeeper and strongman known as the 'Bavarian Hercules', marched from his premises on Tegernseer Landstraße with staff, beer and a brass band in 1887, founding the entry parade.

Since which year have all the breweries taken part in the innkeepers' entry parade?

1935: from that year all the Munich breweries paraded together, each with its decorated drays and brass band, on the festival's opening morning.

Which family's carriage carries the Mayor of Munich in the opening parade?

The Schottenhamel tent is also where the mayor taps the first keg.

What occasion did the very first Oktoberfest costume parade in 1835 mark?

The silver wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I and Queen Therese, the couple whose 1810 wedding founded the festival, was marked by the first costume parade in 1835.

Which Bavarian novelist organised the 1895 Oktoberfest costume parade?

Maximilian Schmidt, the popular novelist known as 'Waldschmidt', organised the 1895 parade, which brought some 1,400 participants in about 150 costume groups.

About how long is the costume and riflemen parade route to the Wiesn?

About 7 km through the city centre to the Wiesn: some 8,000 participants and about 40 decorated horse-drawn carriages take part on the festival's first Sunday.

Which organisation runs the innkeepers' entry and the costume and marksmen procession?

Festring München, an association of Munich clubs and traditional-costume societies, organises both parades; costume groups from Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy also take part.

Oktoberfest is extended when its final Sunday falls before which national holiday?

German Unity Day: when the first Sunday in October falls on 1 or 2 October, the festival runs on to the 3 October holiday, making it 17 or 18 days.

How often is the Bavarian Central Agricultural Fair held alongside Oktoberfest?

Every four years: the Bavarian Central Agricultural Fair (ZLF) sets up its livestock and machinery show on the southern end of the Theresienwiese.

How large is the Theresienwiese fairground?

42 hectares, roughly 100 acres, just southwest of Munich's city centre; the Bavaria statue looks down on the meadow from its western edge.

Roughly what share of Oktoberfest visitors come from abroad?

About 15 percent of visitors come from abroad; most of the rest come from Bavaria itself, with the remainder from other German states.

The Theresienwiese lies in which Munich borough?

Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt: the Theresienwiese forms the western part of this central borough, a short walk south-west of Munich's main railway station.

At what time do the big Oktoberfest beer tents stop serving on a regular evening?

10:30 pm: last orders in the big tents are called at 10:30 pm and the tents close at 11:30 pm, with only two tents licensed to serve later.

What inscription replaced brewery logos on the mugs at the Oide Wiesn?

'Münchner Bier': at the Oide Wiesn the breweries pour historic dark beers into stoneware mugs bearing that joint inscription instead of their own logos.

Which institution curates the museum tent at the Oide Wiesn?

The Munich Stadtmuseum (city museum) curates the museum tent, with its exhibition on the history of the fairground and its vintage rides.

Members of which club began the Rosa Wiesn gatherings at Oktoberfest in the 1970s?

The Münchner Löwen Club (MLC), a Munich gay club, began reserving a tent balcony for its members in the 1970s, and the gathering grew into the annual Rosa Wiesn.

About how many visitors attend the Rosa Wiesn events each year?

About 8,000: Gay Sunday and the other Rosa Wiesn events draw around 8,000 visitors, making it one of Bavaria's largest LGBT gatherings after Munich's Christopher Street Day.

What is the Behördenhof, established on the Wiesn in 2004?

It sits on the eastern side of the Theresienwiese and acts as the main command centre.

What was the aim of the Sichere Wiesn campaign launched in 2003?

A women's support centre now operates at the Behördenhof.

Which organisation inspects every Oktoberfest ride before the festival opens?

TÜV SÜD, the Munich-based technical inspection body, examines every ride's brakes, restraints and structure before the festival opens.

Which ride was involved in a 1996 collision that injured 30 Oktoberfest visitors?

The Euro Star roller coaster: two of its trains collided during the 1996 festival, injuring about 30 riders.

Following which event were permanent security checkpoints first introduced at Oktoberfest?

The September 11 attacks: the 2001 festival opened just eleven days later, and visitors have passed through permanent checkpoints at the entrances ever since, with bag checks added later.

Bags above what volume were banned from Oktoberfest in 2016?

3 litres: from the 2016 festival, backpacks and bags with a volume above that were turned away at the entrances as part of a security tightening after that summer's attacks in Germany.

Roughly how many kilometres of cable supply Oktoberfest with electricity?

43 km: the cables run to 18 partly underground transformer stations, and the festival uses about 2.9 million kWh of electricity each year.

Which Munich U-Bahn lines serve the Theresienwiese station?

U4 and U5: Theresienwiese station sits on the shared U4/U5 trunk line, and at peak festival times trains run at close to three-minute intervals.

Why did organisers abandon plans to block mobile phones in Oktoberfest toilets in 2005?

Signs and background music near the facilities now discourage lingering on the phone.

Which Vienna site hosted the first Viennese Wiesn in 2011?

The Kaiserwiese, the meadow at the entrance to the Prater beside the Giant Ferris Wheel, hosted the first Wiener Wiesn-Fest in 2011.

Which showman brewer is the central character of the 2020 drama set at the 1900 Wiesn?

Curt Prank, played by Mišel Matičević, is a Nuremberg brewer who schemes to build a giant beer hall at the 1900 Wiesn in the series Oktoberfest 1900.

A 1553 Bavarian ordinance limited brewing to the months between which two saints' days?

St Michael's Day (29 September) and St George's Day (23 April): summer heat spoiled fermentation, so the last spring brews were made strong enough to last until autumn.

How was the original Märzen beer described?

Dark brown, full-bodied and bitter: the original Märzen was brewed strong in spring and kept in cool cellars over the summer, to be poured at the festival in autumn.

What alcohol range does a traditional Märzen typically fall in?

5.1 to 6.0 percent: Märzen is brewed stronger and maltier than everyday Helles, which is what let it keep through the summer months.

In which country is a lighter Märzen the most popular beer style?

Post-war price controls led Austrian brewers to cut its malt and alcohol content.

Whose amber-red Vienna-style March beer became the festival favourite from 1872?

Josef Sedlmayr of the Franziskaner-Leist brewery served his amber Vienna-style Märzen at the 1872 festival; it replaced the earlier dark lagers, and the beers have grown paler since.

Since about which year have most Munich-brewed Oktoberfest beers been golden in colour?

About 1990: from then the Munich breweries switched their festival pours to a golden, lighter style, keeping darker Märzen versions mainly for export to the United States.

What do the Munich breweries holding the festival beer trademark call themselves?

The Club of Munich Brewers (Verein Münchener Brauereien) owns the festival beer trademark and rules that only beer brewed within the city limits may carry it.

Löwenbräu's lion emblem comes from a 17th-century fresco depicting which biblical scene?

Daniel in the lions' den: the 17th-century fresco in the brewery's original tavern gave the 'lion brew' its name and emblem.

In which year was the Löwenbräu lion trademark registered?

1886: the lion trademark was registered that year; the Löwenbräu-Festzelt is crowned by a mechanical lion that lifts its mug and roars the brewery's name.

Which religious brotherhood founded the Paulaner brewery in Munich in 1634?

The Order of Minims, followers of St Francis of Paola (hence 'Paulaner'), brewed at their Neudeck cloister from 1634; their strong Lenten beer Salvator was given to the poor or sold at the cloister.

Which Dutch brewer holds a minority stake in the Paulaner brewery group?

Heineken holds 30 percent of the Paulaner Brauerei Gruppe, with Munich's Schörghuber family group owning the other 70 percent.

Which duke founded the Munich Hofbräuhaus in 1589?

Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, founded the Hofbräuhaus in 1589 because his court disliked Munich's beer and had been importing it from Einbeck in Lower Saxony.

Which is the only Oktoberfest brewery to pour its beer exclusively from wooden barrels?

It has done so since 1987, and it is also Munich's oldest brewery, dating to 1328.

Whose 1996 bequest put Munich's Augustiner brewery under the control of a charitable foundation?

Edith Haberland-Wagner, last of the Wagner brewing family, left her majority stake in Augustiner to the foundation that bears her name when she died in 1996.

Which tool appears on the logo of Munich's Spaten brewery?

A malt shovel: Spaten means 'spade' in German, and the logo shows a malt shovel with the initials GS for Gabriel Sedlmayr, who bought the brewery in 1807.

At which Munich brewery did Carl von Linde install his first refrigeration machine in 1873?

Spaten: Gabriel Sedlmayr II let Carl von Linde build his first refrigeration machine at the brewery in 1873, making year-round lagering possible.

Which Munich brewery was founded in 1417, almost a century before the Reinheitsgebot?

Hacker and Pschorr merged into Hacker-Pschorr in 1972.

Which tent at the Oide Wiesn still pours its beer from traditional oak barrels?

The Herzkasperl-Festzelt, Hacker-Pschorr's tent at the Oide Wiesn, taps its beer from oak barrels, while the brewery's big Wiesn tents use a modern beer ring line.

In which year was Oktoberfest beer first served in glass mugs instead of stoneware?

1892: glass mugs replaced the stoneware steins at the festival that year, letting drinkers see the beer's colour and clarity.

In which year did the first large brewery-backed beer halls appear at the Wiesn?

1896: that year enterprising landlords, backed by the breweries, replaced the small beer stands with the first large beer halls, the ancestors of today's tents.

Counting every cancellation since 1810, the 2010 bicentenary Oktoberfest was which edition?

The 177th: between 1810 and 2010 the festival was cancelled 24 times, for wars, disease and economic crisis, so the 200th anniversary fell on only the 177th edition.

Which Munich city department runs Oktoberfest, its head being nicknamed the 'Wiesn-Chef'?

The Department of Labour and Economic Development (Referat für Arbeit und Wirtschaft) organises the festival; its head, the city's economics councillor, is known as the Wiesn-Chef.

Roughly how tall is the bronze Bavaria statue, not counting its stone base?

18.5 metres (18.52 m exactly): the figure stands on a base almost 9 metres high and weighs about 87 tonnes.

What can visitors climb inside the Bavaria statue?

A staircase inside leads to a viewing platform in her head, where openings in the helmet give views over the Theresienwiese and central Munich.

The Bavaria statue's head was cast from bronze cannon captured at which naval battle?

Navarino: the Turkish guns captured in the 1827 battle were later sold as scrap under Greece's Bavarian-born King Otto and melted down for the statue's head.

Which Roman emperor did Ludwig I compare himself to over the giant Bavaria statue?

He wrote that only Nero and he could produce such giant statues.

Which Bavarian duke adopted the Reinheitsgebot across all of Bavaria in 1516?

William IV (Wilhelm IV), with his brother Ludwig X, issued the Reinheitsgebot at Ingolstadt on 23 April 1516; a predecessor law had applied in Bavaria-Munich since 1487.

Which three ingredients did the 1516 Reinheitsgebot permit in beer?

Water, barley and hops: yeast went unmentioned because its role in fermentation was not yet understood, so it was carried over from brew to brew unknowingly.

Why did the 1516 purity law allow only barley as the brewing grain?

To keep wheat and rye affordable for bakers: the law reserved those grains for bread, though wheat beer later flourished under a special privilege granted to the Degenberger family.

Which body ruled in 1987 that the Reinheitsgebot was protectionist for imported beer?

The European Court of Justice: in a 1987 case brought by the European Commission after French complaints, it ruled the ban on imported beer a trade barrier, though Germany kept applying the law to its own beer.

Exactly how much beer does a modern Maß hold?

One litre: the modern Maß is a calibrated litre, whereas the historical Bavarian Maß was slightly larger, at 1.069 litres.

About how much does an empty glass Maß weigh?

About 1.3 kilograms: an empty glass Maß weighs roughly that, and German courts have treated the mug as a dangerous weapon in Oktoberfest brawls.

Which Munich association checks the fill level of Maß mugs in the Oktoberfest tents?

The Verein gegen betrügerisches Einschenken ('association against fraudulent pouring') measures how far below the litre mark tent beer is poured and publicises the worst offenders.

Which lederhosen feature may be a Bavarian invention that France called à la bavaroise?

The drop-front flap (Hosentürl): French tailors called the fall-front style 'à la bavaroise', though leather breeches themselves were once worn by riders and hunters across Europe.

What are the Alpine clubs modelled on Joseph Vogl's 1883 Bayrischzell group called?

Trachtenvereine: Joseph Vogl founded the first such folk-costume society in Bayrischzell in 1883, and hundreds of similar clubs followed across Bavaria and Austria.

According to a modern tradition, an apron knot tied on a dirndl's left side signals what?

The wearer is single: by the modern convention a bow on the left means available, while one on the right means married, engaged or otherwise taken.

Which 1930 operetta, with Munich-made folk costumes, turned the dirndl into an international fashion?

The White Horse Inn (Im weißen Rößl), the hit 1930 operetta, put its resolute innkeeper heroine in a dirndl with apron and deep neckline, and the look spread worldwide.

Which singing group wore dirndls at the 1936 Salzburg Festival and on world tours?

The Trapp Family Singers wore Austrian dirndls when they won at the 1936 Salzburg Festival and on their later American tours; Shirley Temple's 1937 film Heidi added to the craze.

Which British designer said in 2001 that ugliness would end if every woman wore a dirndl?

Vivienne Westwood, who declared in 2001 that 'if every woman wore a dirndl there would be no more ugliness', had long admired Bavarian dress and was photographed in dirndls herself.

Who is the moustachioed mascot of the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest?

Onkel Hans, a moustachioed figure in lederhosen and a feathered hat, is the mascot of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest; his counterpart Tante Frieda wears a dirndl.

On which holiday is the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest's big parade held?

Canadian Thanksgiving: the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade runs on the Monday morning of the holiday weekend and has been broadcast nationally on CTV.

Kitchener, Ontario, whose Oktoberfest began in 1969, was named what until 1916?

Berlin: the city was renamed Kitchener in 1916, during the First World War, after the British war secretary Lord Kitchener; during Oktoberfest its bus displays flash 'Gemütlichkeit'.

Which venue hosted the first Kitchener Oktoberfest in 1967, drawing about 2,000 people?

The Concordia Club, Kitchener's German-Canadian club founded in 1873, hosted the first local Oktoberfest in 1967; the city-wide festival followed in 1969.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati claimed a world record in 1994 for the largest what?

Chicken Dance: more than 48,000 people flapped along in 1994, a Guinness World Record, and the festival has led a mass Chicken Dance with a celebrity grand marshal ever since.

Which dog breed competes in the costumed race that opens Oktoberfest Zinzinnati?

Dachshunds and dachshund mixes race in hot-dog costumes in the 'Running of the Wieners', a pun on wiener dogs; the festival also hosts a bratwurst-eating championship.

Which riverfront parks became the home of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in 2024?

Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove: the 2024 move from the downtown streets to the riverfront parks made room for a Munich-style big tent seating more than 1,000.

What disaster prompted the creation of the Blumenau Oktoberfest in 1984?

A flood of the Itajaí-Açu river: after the devastating 1983 and 1984 floods, the first Oktoberfest in October 1984 was staged to revive the city's economy and morale.

What size tulip glass must be drained in Blumenau's meter-of-beer contest?

Competitors drain a 600 ml tulip glass without drooling or lowering it.

Which German city hosts the Cannstatter Volksfest, often ranked second only to Oktoberfest?

Stuttgart: the Cannstatter Volksfest began in 1818 as a harvest festival on the Cannstatter Wasen meadow by the Neckar, and draws several million visitors each autumn.

Which Oktoberfest tent has a tower topped by a giant rotating Maß of beer?

The Paulaner Festzelt, long known as the Winzerer Fähndl, has a tower crowned by a slowly rotating giant Maß that is visible across the Wiesn.

Which Argentine town has hosted the National Beer Festival every October since 1963?

Villa General Belgrano, in Argentina's Córdoba province, was settled by German immigrants in the 1930s and has held the Fiesta Nacional de la Cerveza every October since 1963.

Which historic Yokohama landmark hosts Japan's best-known Oktoberfest?

The Red Brick Warehouse (Akarenga Soko), the restored early-1900s customs buildings on the harbour, has hosted Yokohama Oktoberfest since 2003, with German bands and beers.

Which Palestinian town's brewery has hosted an Oktoberfest since 2005?

Taybeh: the Taybeh Brewery, founded in 1994 by the Khoury family in the Christian village north of Ramallah, has staged a two-day Oktoberfest since 2005.

Which German engineer, famous for fairground roller coasters, designed Olympia Looping?

Anton Schwarzkopf, the Bavarian coaster builder, created Olympia Looping in 1989 with engineer Werner Stengel; at about 900 tonnes it is the world's largest transportable roller coaster.

Which Oktoberfest attraction, a spinning wooden disc riders try to stay on, dates from 1910?

The Teufelsrad ('devil's wheel') has spun at the Wiesn since 1910: riders sit on a polished rotating disc while attendants knock them off with ropes and balls to the crowd's delight.

What decorates the heart-shaped Lebkuchen sold as Oktoberfest souvenirs?

Icing messages on the hearts run from affectionate to sarcastic or downright obscene; the same gingerbread hearts are a staple of German Christmas markets too.

What is Steckerlfisch, the speciality of the Fischer-Vroni tent at Oktoberfest?

A whole fish grilled on a stick, marinated and skewered upside-down beside the embers in the traditional way of a fisherman or camper; 'Steckerl' is Bavarian for a small stick.

Which Oktoberfest tent is decorated with hop vines and a figure known as the 'Angel Aloisius'?

The Hofbräu-Festzelt, opened in 1955, hangs the 'Angel Aloisius' figure and hop garlands from its roof and is the only large tent with a standing area in front of the bandstand.

A German national championship in which sport is held each year inside an Oktoberfest beer tent?

Crossbow: the Armbrustschützenzelt ('crossbow shooters' tent'), founded in 1895, hosts the national 30-metre crossbow championship during the festival and seats about 5,800, pouring Paulaner.

In which year did Johann Rössler first roast an ox on a skewer at the Wiesn, founding the Ochsenbraterei?

1881: butcher Johann Rössler roasted the first whole ox on a spit that year, founding the Ochsenbraterei, which pours Spaten beer and roasts well over a hundred oxen each festival.

Which Oktoberfest tent, a log house opened in 1971, is known for champagne and celebrity guests?

Käfer Wiesn-Schänke, run by the Munich delicatessen Feinkost Käfer, was built in 1971 as a wooden farmhouse rather than a canvas tent and serves until 00:30, later than almost every other tent.

Which tent replaced the Hippodrom at Oktoberfest in 2014?

Marstall, run by the Able family and pouring Spaten-Franziskaner, took the Hippodrom's place in 2014 after the old tent's landlord lost his licence over a tax-evasion conviction.