Page 13 - Sep 2022

But Why Does It Begin In
Sept ember?
Okt oberfest st art s in Sept ember
because it s final day has a fixed spot
on t he calendar. The last day of t he
fest ival is always on t he first Sunday
of Oct ober. As Okt oberfest grew in
A Brief History of Oktoberfest worked backward t o capit alize on
popularit y and st at ure, organizers
It all began with Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King 2022 dat es are Sept ember 17t h-
Sept ember ? s warmer weat her.
Ludwig I. He married Princess Therese of Oct ober 3rd.
Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810 and threw quite a
party.
The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities
held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the
happy royal event. The fields were renamed Theresienwiese
("Therese's Fields") to honor the Crown Princess.

Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the
close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the
whole of Bavaria. It was the decision to repeat the races in
subsequent years that gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest Continues in 1811

A decision was made to add an Agricultural Show to the
festival. The idea was to boost Bavarian agriculture by
combining it with the races that were already a popular draw.
Horse races continued to be run intermittently as part of the
festival until the 1960s. Over time, the Agricultural Show
morphed into a once -every- three- years event that is still held
on the southern end of the festival grounds.
Private Party Becomes a Community Event & Goes Worldwide

In 1818 the first merry-go-round appeared at the festival,
beginning what would become the inclusion of a full scale
amusement park in later years. In 1819 the city fathers of
Munich took over the festival and grew it into an international
party. Oktoberfest, as it became, has been held every year
since 1819 except for the interruptions caused by two cholera
epidemics, the disruption of the First and Second World Wars, Here's How t o Get Your
and most recently the worldwide COVID Pandemic that
Seat at t he Table
shuttered the famous beer halls for two years.
In the beginning visitors were able to quench their thirst at Sat urday Sept 17, Arrive 6:00,
small beer stands sponsored by various breweries. In 1896 the Dinner at 6:30 pm
stands gave way to the first beer tents, followed by permanent
Locat ion: 121 Opry Mills Drive
halls set up with the backing of German breweries.
Suit e 315 Nashville, TN 37214.
Every Oktoberfest begins with a parade led by the Munich
RSVP no lat er t han Sept 14 at
mayor and the "Münchner Kind' (Munich child, the city's mascot,
usually portrayed by a girl). Then comes the ceremonial tapping font echia@gmail.com
of the first beer keg at high noon. The Mayor of Munich does
We'll order from t he menu.
the honors with the traditional call of "O'zapft is!"- the keg is
tapped. Only then can the beer begin to flow and the festivities We need a firm number in order t o
begin. not ify t he Bierhaus of our numbers
ahead of our arrival so t hey are
Good Timing! Our Club Dinner is on the first day of the festival.
prepared t o serve our group.
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