Hidden Curiosities And Oddities About Oktoberfest, The Largest Beer Festival In The World.

One of the most famous festivals in the world, Oktoberfest, is in full swing. This year it started on September 17 and closes its doors today, October 3. Millions of people from all over the world visit it every year. This beer event is organized in Munich and thousands of people work on its organisation every year. In this article, we will look at the interesting, bizarre and history of this folk festival.

1. They serve exclusively Munich beer here

Every festival has some rules. At Oktoberfest, they are perhaps a bit more unconventional and, of course, mainly concern beer. Fortunately, there are not many of them, two in particular, so even the one who is intoxicated with this delicious drink will easily remember them. I guess.

Rule number one: Every beer must meet the requirements of the Reinheitsgebot. This means that it should contain at least 13.5 percent Stammwürze, or 6 percent alcohol. Beer must be pure, and therefore can only contain water, barley, hops, yeast, wheat malt or cane sugar. It is for this reason that local beer is said to be stronger and easier to get drunk from. Cheers!

Rule number two: All beers at the festival must be brewed on the territory of the city of Munich. These are the so-called "big six" breweries that produce beer for Oktoberfest: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschor, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten and Hofbräuhaus.

2. It arose from a 204-year-old tradition

We can thank one German official for the fact that Oktoberfest attracts millions of visitors every year. Andreas Michael Dall'Armi, a member of the Bavarian National Guard, once had a great idea to celebrate a wedding in an unconventional way. He wanted to honor Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen with a huge horse race. He shared his idea with the Bavarian king Max I. Joseph, who was enthusiastic about it.

The couple were married on October 12, 1810, and the ceremony took place five days later. Although there were no beer tents or street attractions at the time, this event marked the birth of Oktoberfest. The following year, the race was combined with the state agricultural fair, and in 1818 food and drink stalls were introduced for the first time. At the end of the 20th century, the stalls turned into large beer tents.

3. Puke-proof sneakers? Clearly!

If you are going to the event, you better take suitable shoes. The German Adidas brand decided to help visitors with the selection of suitable sneakers. She made a special model that you can't get dirty even with your own or other people's vomit.

Sneakers with the name München Made in Germany are an excellent accessory, not only from the point of view of fashion, but also of practicality. They are made of leather soaked in a hydrophobic substance that can repel liquid.

The shoes play with colors that match perfectly with Oktoberfest. Yellow, which reflects the color of traditional "lederhosen" pants or beer. The interior is checked in white and red. These correspond to the shirts that people traditionally wear under "lederhosen". The heel has traditional embroidery and where the model number would normally be, the German word 'prost', which translates to cheers, is printed in gold. The sneakers cost 200 euros and you can only buy them in Europe.

4. Einstein worked at Oktoberfest

If you ever wondered who once provided electric lighting for the entire Schwabing district of Munich, then know that it was the Einstein brothers. Albert himself, a world-renowned theoretical physicist, once worked as an electrician's assistant. For example, he also helped with the installation of cables in the tent at the now well-known Oktoberfest festival.

5. Thousands of items fill the lost and found tent every year

Oktoberfest participants drink a lot of beer every year. Therefore, the organisers are not surprised when they have a huge collection of all kinds of finds after the festival. They can be quite bizarre.

Among the reported lost items are, for example, a live grasshopper, dentures, a Viking helmet, crutches, an electric wheelchair, a backpack with two folding camping chairs or a case with sheet music. After them come less bizarre wallets, mobile phones, documents, valuables and glasses. 

Charles Reinbold, who worked in the lost and found office at Oktoberfest, remembers his finds with a smile. He remembers finding five or six false teeth one year. After the festival, one pensioner came and tried them all. Finally, unfortunately, he discovered that his was not among them.

However, in addition to inanimate objects, living beings also disappear at the festival. It happened more than once that someone was looking for their pet. Worse, Oktoberfest visitors tend to lose their own children as well. That is why they established a special workplace - lost and found children.

6. Paris Hilton is banned from Oktoberfest because of her outfit

Paris Hilton, a famous model, singer, actress and DJ, is banned from Oktoberfest. She got it because, according to local residents, she defaced this traditional festival. She came to the event in a traditional Bavarian costume and braided braids. There would be nothing wrong with that if she wasn't promoting a canned wine brand with her outfit. According to the locals, it was over the line at the beer festival, so they decided to contact the organizers. They apparently agreed with their views and banned Paris from entering Oktoberfest.

7. You will also find a tent where they offer wine

At Oktoberfest, everyone really can find something for themselves. Even wine lovers who accidentally wander into the biggest beer festival in the world. There is a tent for them, where they sell more than 15 types of wine, champagne and other bubbly drinks. Weinzelt, the smallest of all Oktoberfest beer tents, is interesting not only for its wine, but also for its furnishings. The interior is decorated in a traditional wooden style and you will find individual private boxes for sitting, not communal tables like in others. Locals joke that it's so that people won't be seen drinking wine at a beer festival.

So Oktoberfest is not only a folk festival of beer, but also a festival of real oddities. So if you went this year, don't leave without your dentures.