When most people think of Oktoberfest, they think of October — understandably. But in reality, October is when Munich’s biggest celebration ends. The majority of Oktoberfest takes place in September. To understand why, have to go way back to 1810, when Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Her parents ruled the nearby Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen, today known simply as the German district of Hildburghausen in central Germany, with its border along northern Bavaria. So the two royals were essentially neighbors. Her parents wanted her to marry Napoleon, but that didn’t work out, so they settled for a Bavarian prince.
The actual wedding took place on October 12. It lasted five days, and included a folk festival, a free opera, play, ball, music academy and horse race. While her husband, Prince Ludwig was a notorious philanderer, Therese endeared herself to the citizens of Bavaria, and the site of the wedding was renamed Theresienwiese in her honor. The wedding reception’s activities were repeated the next year, and each year after that, eventually evolving into the modern Oktoberfest celebrated today. Since 1810, it’s only been cancelled a few times for cholera epidemics, a few wars, and, most recently, twice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the late 1800s, the dates started shifting earlier to take advantage of more predictably warmer weather. Now, it ends on the first Sunday in October, and usually starts 16 days before. I say usually, because sometimes German Reunification Day, Oct. 3, falls before the last Sunday, in which case the festival concludes instead on that holiday. That means Oktoberfest can be as long as 18 days, which it was in 2023.
This year’s folk festival — which is what Oktoberfest is considered by the German people — begins Sept. 20 and concludes Oct. 5. It will begin, as it has every year since 1950, with the mayor of Munich tapping the first keg in a noon ceremony where everyone shouts “O’zapft is!,” which means “It’s tapped.” Then, the beer starts flowing. All of it is on draft and is served in traditional 1-liter glass mugs known as a Maß (or more formally a Maßkrug — and is pronounced like “moss” or “moss krugh”).
Since 1872, most of the beer consumed at Oktoberfest is either a Märzen or Festbier (a.k.a. Fest-Märzen) — but Festbier is just a more modern, lighter version of Märzen. You can find other beers, like Weissbiers, in some tents, but the most popular by far is what’s come to be known as “Oktoberfest Beer” and is even called that on beer labels. It was invented by Josef Sedlmayr, who owned the Franziskaner brewery in Munich (which today is part of Spaten). He was inspired by pale-colored ales from England and experimented with an amber-colored lager. In German, Märzen means March, as in the month, which is when he first brewed it. Before refrigeration existed, beer was only brewed in cooler months of the year. In a law from 1539, the brewing season in Germany was set from September 29 (Michaelmas) to April 23 (St. George’s Day). This became the traditional brewing season until the Industrial Revolution. After cellaring his beer over the summer, it was ready to drink in September, just in time for Oktoberfest. The name, as well as the beer, proved very popular.
Navigating the labels can be tricky, since many American breweries use Oktoberfest, Märzen and Festbier interchangeably, even though there are technical differences. If you want to be able to drink more, your best bet is Festbier, which is lighter in body and alcohol, with an almost identical flavor. Today, that’s become the most popular in Munich during Oktoberfest. These days, they’re brewed year-round. In order to pour beer at Munich’s official Oktoberfest, also known as the ‘Fest des Münchner Bieres’ (or Festival of Munich beer), the brewery must be within Munich’s city limits. Currently, there are six qualifying breweries: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten.
But the tradition is well-represented throughout the U.S. Unsurprisingly, local Oktoberfest celebrations take place in every state, since German heritage is the largest ancestry group in the country, representing around 41 million people and roughly 12% of the population. What is surprising is that so many festivals take place well into October, sometimes long after the official Oktoberfest has ended.
Whether you celebrate Oktoberfest in September or October, though, you’ll have no problem finding German Oktoberfest, Märzen, or Festbier at your local beer store — and there are plenty of excellent American versions, too. Pick some up before next Saturday, although to toast the official tapping, you’ll have to stay up until 3:00 a.m. But even if you miss that, you’ll have plenty of upcoming opportunities to enjoy Oktoberfest.
Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.