Oktoberfest is coming! We’ll tell you about the origins of this popular German celebration and the best ways to celebrate it with Elba Hotels.
The Bavarian beer festival is about to begin. This weekend in Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and, of course, Spain, Oktoberfest 2018 will kick off, a tradition that is over two centuries old and brings together 6 million annual visitors in the city of Munich.
The rules state that during these two weeks only beer from the six factories in Munich can be served and it must be of the Märzen variety. This type is not fermented for long and may have an alcohol content of up to 6%, being stronger and darker than traditional beer.
What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is a traditional German festival that started with the wedding between Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Theresa of Saxony, which took place from 12 to 17 October, 1810 in the Bavarian city of Munich. All of its inhabitants were invited to the event, which culminated in a horse race. The following year, the horse race was repeated, giving rise to Oktoberfest and everything that surrounds this celebration.
There are many reasons that have prevented the event’s celebration since its inception: epidemics, wars, inflation, etc. However, since 1960 the festival has been reinvented, this time without horse racing while reincorporating traditional costumes and parades and, above all, introducing Bavarian beer to the whole world.
Celebrate Oktoberfest in Spain!
In Madrid you’ll have to wait until the weekend of 27-29 September, when the Wizink Centre will celebrate its 5th Anniversary of Oktoberfest. With live music, Bavarian cuisine and the original German Märzen beer, so you can enjoy a different kind of celebration.
In Mallorca, the island with the most German residents in the country, you can also savour the typical hotdogs and the best Bavarian beer, but with a much stronger German accent than in Madrid.