Pop Culture Series: Oktoberfest

History of Oktoberfest

Why Does it Start in September?

Bill Petro
ILLUMINATION
Published in
3 min readSep 19, 2024

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Hacker-Pschorr Brewery “Oktoberfest Girl.” Image: Wikipedia

Why is the famous German beer festival held in September if it’s called Oktoberfest? Officially, the beer festival starts on the third Saturday in September and runs through early October for sixteen to eighteen days. This year, it runs from September 21 to October 6

What is the backstory of Oktoberfest?

Oktoberfest History

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the royal wedding in Munich — the capital of the old kingdom of Bavaria — between Ludwig, the Bavarian Crown Prince, and Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, princess of Saxe-Altenburg. The celebration began on October 12 and lasted until October 17. In subsequent years, the festivities were repeated, lengthened, and moved to September when the weather was better.

The festivities were initially held for the citizens on the fields in front of the gates of the city. The fields were renamed Theresienwiese for the princess but are often abbreviated to simply die Wiesn. Over the years, the celebration grew to become a celebration of Bavarian agriculture, culture, and food.

Current Oktoberfest

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Bill Petro
ILLUMINATION

Writer, historian, technologist. Former Silicon Valley tech exec. Author of fascinating articles on history, tech, pop culture, & travel. https://billpetro.com