The world's largest folk festival, Oktoberfest, attracts
millions! Yet, few know its fascinating
beginnings.
It all started in 1810 with a royal wedding and an
unforgettable horse race! Thanks to officer
Andreas Michael Dall'Armi's brilliant idea, "Theresienwiese" was
born—a name still celebrated today.
Join us in uncovering this incredible history!
The first Oktoberfest: horse racing for a royal wedding
Andreas Michael Dall'Armi, a member of the Bavarian National
Guard, had the idea of celebrating the wedding of Prince Regent Ludwig of
Bavaria, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in a
different way: with a big horse race. The banker and cavalry major submitted
his proposal to King Max I Joseph of Bavaria, who was immediately impressed.
The wedding took place on October 12, 1810 and the official
festivities lasted five days. The celebrations in the city center, which were
already referred to as a "folk festival" at the time, ended on
October 17 with a horse race on a meadow outside the gates of Munich.
The city center buzzed with excitement, celebrating a
"folk festival" that culminated on October 17 with an exhilarating
horse race just outside Munich's gates. Children in Bavarian folk costumes
honored the royal family with heartfelt poems and gifts from the land. This
festive meadow was named "Theresens-Wiese" after the bride—now known
as Oktoberfest’s iconic site: "Theresienwiese," or simply "the
Wiesn."
A year after the wedding celebrations of 1810, everyone was
in agreement: "We want more!" Without the royal wedding, the festival
naturally needed a new organizer and that became the ‘Landwirtschaftlicher
Verein in Bayern’ [Bavarian agricultural association]. The newfound festivities
created the perfect opportunity for the association to shine a spotlight on
their own wares.
Even though there were no beer tents or fairground rides on
the Wiesn at the time, this was the birth of the Oktoberfest. Andreas Michael
Dall'Armi received the city of Munich's first gold citizens' medal for the
"invention" of the Oktoberfest in 1824.
In 1813, the newly launched Oktoberfest faced its first cancellation due to the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars.
Afterward, it was privately funded until city leaders
declared it a priority in 1819. Word spread among elite circles that
Oktoberfest was set to attract crowds and boost profits, making an annual
celebration a must!
In 1850, a reason to rejoice emerged: the unveiling of the
Bavaria statue, the guardian of Oktoberfest and symbol of Bavaria! But joy was short-lived— wars and cholera
soon cast shadows over celebrations.
In 1825, Munich limited its beer vendors to just 18! These
wooden stalls formed the iconic Wirtsbudenring. By 1895, large breweries began
constructing temporary halls for up to 1,500 guests. In 1898, Georg Lang opened
the first big tent on Theresienwiese! Fast forward to 1930: festival grounds
were restructured into today’s Wirtsbudenstraße and Schaustellerstraße. Now,
these halls are a Wiesn symbol!
In the early 20th century, Oktoberfest faced cancellations
due to wars and economic crises, often scaling down to a smaller autumn
festival. After World War II, the iconic horse race made its comeback only
during milestone anniversaries in 1960 and most recently in 2010.
On September 26, 1980, tragedy struck as a bomb tore through
the main entrance, claiming 13 lives and injuring over 200. Among the victims
was the perpetrator himself, Gundolf Köhler. The Oktoberfest bombing remains
one of Germany's darkest chapters. Reopened between 2014 and 2020, the
investigation revealed it was a chilling act of terrorism aimed at swaying the
federal election.
Today, Oktoberfest stands as the largest folk festival in
the world, drawing around six million visitors every year! To enhance family
fun, the “quiet Wiesn” was launched in 2005. Now, party tunes kick off only
after 6 p.m., while Bavarian brass band music keeps the vibe joyful before
then!
Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty
years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content
sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in
Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber-Analysis, a
master’s in criminology with an emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is
currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio
includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true
crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her
spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and
pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during
her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts
while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs
ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or
history pieces each week.
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