With this year’s Oktoberfest being the 200th anniversary of the festival, the city of Munich has come up with some sensationel ideas!

City officials announced, that this years Oktoberfest will not go from September 18th to October 3rd, as originally planned, but will be extended on both ends!

On September 17th, a historic reconstruction of the festival in former centuries will be opened, featuring an old Oktoberfest-tent and an exhibition of domestic and working animals of those times. One of the many highlights will be the horse-races, which are planned to be held twice a day, to remember the origins of the Oktoberfest – a horserace to celebrate a royal wedding in Munich.

The official tapping of the first beer barrel will be celebrated on Saturday 18th at noon, as planned. To celebrate the 200th anniversary, the Oktoberfest does however not end on Sunday, October 3rd, as planned, but will be extended until Monday, October 4th. This extra day will be special in many ways, for example the beer tents don’t hand out reservations for most of their seats, so that it will be easier to get a place at a table for locals and guests, who didn’t announce their presence beforehand.

So get ready for the biggest and longest Oktoberfest ever!

The world’s largest beer festival. For 16 days nearly seven million Oktoberfest visitors will consume more than six million liters of beer in 14 giant beer tents.

The official Oktoberfest 2010 runs from:

Saturday 18th September
… until …
Monday 4th October inclusive

The Oktoberfest site is located in central Munich, Germany. The site is less than 15 minutes walk from the central railway station (the “Hauptbahnhof” in German). See the location here: Google Maps – Oktoberfest site

Munich’s most famous event is the Oktoberfest, held from the middle of September to the first Sunday in October. The celebration began in 1810 to honor Ludwig I’s marriage, when the main event was a horse race in a field called Theresienwiese. Everyone had so much fun that the celebration was held again the following year, and then again and again. Today the Oktoberfest is among the largest fairs in the world.

Every year the festivities get under way with a parade on the first Oktoberfest Sunday, with almost 7,000 participants marching through the streets in folk costumes. Most activities, however, are at the Theresienwiese, where huge beer tents sponsored by local Munich breweries dispense both beer and merriment, complete with Bavarian bands and singing. Each tents holds up to 6,000, which gives you some idea how rowdy things can get. During the 16 day period of the Oktoberfest, an estimated six and a half million (in 1999) visitors guzzle over a million gallons of beer and eat 700,000 broiled chickens. Pure gluttony, and a lot of fun! In addition to the beer tents, there are carnival attractions and amusement rides. Entry to the fairgrounds is free, through rides cost extra.

Opening times:

• The Oktoberfest 2010 will take place from September 18th, 12:00am (noon) to October 4th, 11:30pm
  
  
• The festival tents open at 10:00am on weekdays and close at 11:30pm. On the weekends, the tents open at 9:00am.
  
  
• Beer is served until 10:30pm.
  
  
• The only exceptions are “Kaefer’s Wiesnschaenke” and the “Wein Zelt”: The close at 1:00am.
  
  
• Please be advised, that it is very likely that you may not be allowed to enter the festival grounds with a buggy, pushchair, pram or the likes on very highly frequented nights, such as Fridays, weekends and holidays.
  
  
• Official family days are always Tuesday from 12:00am to 6:00pm with reduced prices all over the Oktoberfest.

Specifics:

• Oktoberfest Hotel Booking

• Find the lowest prices for Flights with any airlines

• Munich Car Rentals

• Travel Insurance

For lots of further general information in English, see the following links:

• oktoberfest.de – the official website
• oktoberfest – Wikipedia
• oktoberfest information – Oktoberfest Info

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