Visiting Munich in October, During Oktoberfest

It is said that you can never know a community of people until you have taken part to their celebrations and indeed, you cannot brag about knowing the Germans, especially those living in Munich, if you have never been to Oktoberfest. This popular festival is the perfect place to see the traditions of the place, admire the traditional costumes and have a taste of the local food.

Oktoberfest initiates on 3rd of October and it is opened by the mayor of Munich with the traditional saying "O'zapft is!" which can be translated as "it is tapped!". After the opening of the festival, rivers of beer are flowing and people who have waited for this event all year long get the occasion to drink juts as much as they want. This is the time when all you will see is mugs of beer, German flags and traditional food.

People from all corners of the world come to this festival to taste from the millions of litters of beer, especially made for this event. Some producers admit that the beer that they make for Oktoberfest is produced after a special recipe, different from the one they use for the regular beer which is meant for consumption during the other periods of the year.

The origins of this folk festival are quite simple. It all started as a local celebration of the matrimony of Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In time, the celebration became so popular that it became an icon of Munich and lost its signification. Now, it is just a festival where people come to have fun and drink beer. Also, because Oktoberfest starts on the same day in which all Germans celebrate the Unity Day, it is also a way of showing the entire world that Germans are proud of their country and their origins.

Yet, not only Germans come to attend the festival. People from all corners of the world travel to Munich and to nearby places in order to be present to the greatest celebration Germany hosts. This is why, if you are planning in taking part of the event this year, you should book a place to stay long before the festival actually begins. Otherwise, there are few to no chances to find a roof where to stay during the 16-18 days of the festival. All the hotels, guest rooms and hotels are packed with people during Oktoberfest and you could hardly find a place to stay if you do not reserve with at least few months before the even starts.

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