Autumn is a busy time for special events and festivals around the world. The mild temperatures that accompany the changing seasons make tourist or business travel 
especially enjoyable.
In honor of one of autumn’s most popular worldwide attractions—the Munich Oktoberfest—we gathered some interesting facts you may not know about this 200-year-old tradition.
- Oktoberfest is known as the largest Volksfest (People’s Fair) in the world. More than six million people attend the festivities each year, which begins on the third weekend of September and runs through the first Sunday in October.
- Oktoberfest traces its origins all the way back to 1810. It began as a wedding celebration between Crown King Ludwig and Queen Therese. Today, the festival ground is called Theresienwiese, Wiesn for short, in honor of Queen Therese.
- The festival is traditionally opened at 12:00 p.m. with a 12-gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the Mayor of Munich, who loudly proclaims: “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”). The first liter of beer always goes to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria.
- As a nod to the original marriage procession of King Ludwig and Queen Therese, a huge parade is part of the Oktoberfest’s ceremonies. Eight thousand people dressed mostly in traditional Bavarian costumes walk from Maximilian Street through the center of Munich to the Oktoberfest grounds.
- Only six German breweries are allowed to serve beer during Oktoberfest, and they are all located within the Munich city limits: Hofbräuhaus München, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, Paulaner Bräu, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu and Augustiner Bräu.
- Although no longer conducted, horseracing was for many years a main feature of
Oktoberfest. The early races featured 30 horses running on an 11,200-foot-long racetrack (about three-quarters longer than the Kentucky Derby horses run!). - Traditional beer steins were made of stone or metal. Since about 1892, however, beverages are served in glass mugs.
- In 2015, the festival officially served 7.3 million liters (1.9 million gallons) of beer, or enough to fill nearly three Olympic-size swimming pools.
- Experienced waiters need an average of only one-and-a-half seconds to fill a one-liter mug.
- There are typically 14 large tents and 20 small tents catering to customers throughout the Oktoberfest grounds. Besides beer, the various tents feature other events and activities, including crossbow competitions, art exhibitions and plenty of singing.
