Wiesn's end

An event 200 years in the making comes to a completion today. We didn't beat the 1985 record of 7.5 million visitors. This year there were 6.4 million visitors, who consumed 7 million Maß. Only one statistic for beer is available from the olden days... in 1887 more than 71,000 gallons (268,764 Litres) were consumed by 200,000 people or less.

Field Trip

The Oktoberfest isn't merely a place to drink the day away. It's a festival, fair, and cultural event all tied into one. Incredibly there are probably few places in the world where it would be considered appropriate to bring groups of school children through though here it is very typical.

Plait

Elaborate plaits or braids can be seen all over the Wiesn - from the pretzels to women's hairstyles. This intricate weaving takes time and patience. Several of the German women's fashion magazines included different types of plaits for hair in this month's issues, however young ladies have been seen spotted around the Oktoberfest plaiting hair for a fee. It's incredible what a market there is for virtually anything at the Wiesn.

Memorial

Not everyone realizes Oktoberfest was the site of an attack way back on September 26 in 1980 and there is a memorial to the victims. At 22:19 13 people were killed and over 200 were injured. The culprit was said to be a right-wing extremist, although not all agree.

Augustiner Tower

Augustiner is occasionally called 'Munich's beer', because it's not advertised and it's not widely exported. It also seems to be a favorite amongst teens, construction workers, and those that hang out on park benches all day, so it's definitely a uniter.

The tower to the right has been brought back this year. It's 25 meters high and contains 11,000 litres of beer! It's even the original exterior from 1926, although it's been a bit modernized with refrigeration inside.

Velodrom

For one euro people test their coordination while using a variety of unique and strange bicycles. As with most of the carnival activities they don't pair so well with alcohol, especially when having impaired depth perception.

Revelry

Resembling one of the more provincial tents is the interior of one of the Jubileums festzelts. The smaller venue mixed with an older and more local crowd demonstrates it's not just the young folks that like to get out to have a good time.

No Smoking

Granted the Oktoberfest hasn't even been on for a week yet, but so far the smells have been bearable. There was concern with the smoking ban that noxious smells would permeate the tents after sweating bodies and spilled beer wouldn't be masked. Some tents have attempted to alleviate this issue by installing fancy exhaust systems and even using bacteria eating microorganisms.

While technically this is the last year the smoking is permitted inside the tents it seems few people actually are taking advantage. Those that do smoke will not be served - or perhaps kissed, so once again beer reigns supreme.

Süddeutsche Horses

As one can imagine many area businesses use Oktoberfest as a money making and advertising venture. In this case the Süddeutsche Zeitung had a beautifully decorated horse pulled trolley that went through the Oktoberfest grounds and into the city.

Landsberger Str.

The public transportation hasn't been overrun even with the looming U-Bahn strike. Locals seemed to get off at Hackerbrücke S-bahn stop while tourists exited at the Hauptbahnhof. People dressed in their Oktobefest best still find walking is an easier way to avoid the crowds or perhaps they are trying to get some fresh air while they can.

Goaßlschnalzen

Inside the Jubileumswiesn Festzelt the tradition of Goaßlschnalzen (whip cracking) is performed above the heads of people. The cracking was used to identify carriage drivers and now is purely tradition, although here it's considered a sport and occasionally can also be seen as a concert performance.

o'zapft is

The annual Oktoberfest began today with Mayor Christian Ude tapping the first keg in the Schottenhamel tent at noon. For the 4th year in a row he has tapped the wooden keg with just two swings of the wooden mallet. Locals joke that a good mayor can get the keg tapped with just two or three swings, so the SPD member has constantly been reelected since 1993.

Jubileumswiesn

One day before the Oktoberfest locals and a few tourists gathered to enjoy a Wies'n preview, which was a nod to the interesting history. The vintage Oktoberfest includes animals, old time rides, costumes, foods, and best of all beer, which was brewed like in the olden days.

Incredibly it was very easy to get a seat both inside and out of the Festzelt. Entry to the Jubileumswiesn costs 4€ and included a metal commemorative pin.

Wies'n Trends

Each year the Oktoberfest has clothing trends, especially among the women's dirndls. This year the trend is said to be floral patterns with red or green aprons. That could just be one newspaper's take on things. There is some variation in the lederhosen with different lengths, colors, embroidery, and leathers, but men seem to change theirs up by adding a different shirt as opposed to purchasing an entirely new outfit.

One week...

In one week's time Munich will swell to maximum capacity as the city is filled with visitors coming to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest. Technically it's the 177th, due to being cancelled during war time and periods of inflation.

There's a bit of suspense over what details will be resurrected for the celebrations. Opening day will feature horse races, traditional costumes, and other surprises.

Way back in 1816 prizes at the game booths included silver, porcelain, and jewelry. Here's to hoping those details come back this year to replace the stuffed toys and less exciting prizes!

I mog Di

What was the wedding reception of Bavaria's Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen continues to be quite the celebration. This year's Oktoberfest marks the 200th anniversary of 'the Wies'n' (as the locals say). In less than two months, in addition to another year of beer guzzling, carnival rides, and mass tourism, expect to see horse races, old fashioned Oktoberfest tents, and carousels at Theresienwiese.

It may also be worth stopping at the Stadtmuseum (city museum) to check out their exhibit to see how the festivities have evolved.

*I mog Di is Bavarian dialect for 'Ich mag dich' or 'I like you'.

Like Oktoberfest, but with much less beer

Over at the famous Theresienweise Munich is celebrating it’s annual Springfest with more than 100 rides, concession stands, and even a couple of beer tents. The event turns out to be a strange mix between fairground rides, a few beer tents, and a bit of a swap meet. I stopped by to find the event absolutely packed with people. The carnival lasts through May 2nd. Locals call it' Oktoberfest’s little sister, but I found it to lack the mystique that surrounds Oktoberfest.

The Grand Finale

Well after 3 weeks, I think I (and most of the locals in Munich) have had their fill of Oktoberfest. it's one of those strange things that you can't wait for, but then once you are there it becomes a bit overwhelming. I really wanted to end Oktoberfest with this image though, because it represents a lot of what I love about Oktoberfest. Even if you don't know the people at your table, everyone is stiff and reserved at the beginning of the night. But it's not long before it seems like everyone is friends. So farewell to all of our new firends for this year, and now onto other things aorund Munich.

The Stars of München TV

I don't know the whole story here, but this couple are absolute stars of the Oktoberfest. If you haven't seen them before, then you've never watched Munchen TV. Because during Oktoberfest, they are on the TV around the clock. I'm talking 24-hours a day, they seem to be hosting a show live from the Hofbrau tent. So when we came across this unique pairing, I knew I had to share them with you. And when they started interviewing our crew, it got even better. Theyr'e actually quite quirky, as they ramble on and on with 5000 revelers screaming in the background. I have to say that I have not seen them on any other coverage, so perhaps they work around the clock for 2.5 weeks, but then get the rest of the year off. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Dandelion

Here's the view at Oktoberfest looking up form the carousel. From this vantage point, the little moving horses of the carousel seem overwhelmingly safe, while this contraption is one of the festivals highest points. I took pictures of this same ride on day 5 or so of Oktoberfest, and most of the seats were empty. Most people say that this was a down year for Oktoberfest, with attendance significantly down from years past because of the threat of terrorism and a down economy kept people from travelling. I will try to find some real stats from the local news. But having been at the world's biggest beer garden on the final days, I'm not sure how they could have packed any additional people into the Wiesn grounds. So perhaps in the end, it was just a bit less hairy and crazy than in previous years.