Have German Will Travel
Ed Heinlein: German Consultant

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• Wies’n Wortschatz (Oktoberfest vocabulary)
  • Auf geht’s zur Wies’n (Let’s go to the meadow!)
  • Oktoberfestreden (language, sayings, and phrases for Oktoberfest)
    1. Bairisch (Bavarian dialect)
    2. Fifteen Bavarian words you need to survive down south
    3. Ten words and phrases you’ll need to survive Oktoberfest
    4. Ten Bavarian expressions you’ll need to survive Oktoberfest
    5. Twelve authentic German sayings for the celebration
    6. Wies’n Dictionary
  • Language Tips



• Was ist Oktoberfest? (What is Oktoberfest?)
  Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest (beer festival and funfair), which is held annually for 16 (17,18) days in Munich, Bavaria, Germany from mid or late September to the first weekend in October.
  • Ursprung (origin): Warum feiert man Oktoberfest? (Why is it celebrated?)
    1. Its origin comes from a royal wedding (12. Oktober 1810) of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen.
    2. Today it’s a harvest festival.
    3. It’s combined with Thanksgiving Day (Dankfest) in Germany, which occurs on October 1 or the first Sunday of October.
  • Geschichte gestern und heute (history of Oktoberfest: yesterday and today)
    1. first 100 years
    2. war years
    3. modern festival Oktoberfest today
  • Beschreibung (description): organized chaos of two weeks of music, singing, dancing, eating, and beer drinking
    1. Munich is the best and „Wurst" of times.
    2. German’s Oktoberfest: World’s Biggest and Wildest Beer Blast
    3. Munich beer time is coming to a head.
    4. Munich in October: one big party
  • Tatsachen (facts and figures)
    1. World’s Biggest Beer Festival: Oktoberfest in Numbers
    2. Facts from Oktoberfest: 6 million beers, 720 arrests, 48 lost kids
    3. Seven Oktoberfest stats that might just blow your Maß
    4. Eight Fun Facts about Munich’s Oktoberfest
    5. Festival of Superlatives
    6. Oktoberfest in numbers: Inside look at multi-billion business
    7. Oktoberfest 2019 in numbers: less beer, fewer crimes, and 96,912 stolen mugs
  • Tendenzen (trends)
    1. after the Wies’n: "What to do after the Oktoberfest closes?"
    2. tourism: "What’s there to see at the Oktoberfest, but also in Munich?"
    3. Munich’s Beer Museum and Oktoberfest Museum
• Auskunft (information)
  • Wer feiert Oktoberfest? (Who celebrates Oktoberfest?)
    1. Leute in Deutschland (people in Germany):
       • München und Bayern (Munich and Bavaria)
       • Stuttgart: „Cannstätter Volksfest" and Schwaben (Schwabia)
       • Bad Dürkheim: „Wurstmarkt" (Sausage Fair and Wine Festival)
    2. Leute in Europa (people in Europe):
       • Wien und Österreich (Vienna and Austria)
    3. Leute durch die Welt (people throughout the world)
       • Australien (Australia)
       • USA: Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, New York
  • Wann feiert man Oktoberfest? (When is Oktoberfest celebrated?)
    1. month: from the middle of September, usually the last Saturday of September, through the first Monday of October
    2. days: Oktoberfest usually lasts 16 days
       • It originally took place during the 16 days up to, and including, the first Sunday in October.
       • In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification, so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival would go on until October 3 (German Unity Day).
       • Thus the festival is now open 17 days when the first Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1.
    3. daily time: begins each day at noon and lasts until 23.00 Uhr in the beer tents and 24.00 Uhr on the meadow grounds
    4. EXCEPTIONS
       • World War Two (1946 to 1948)
       • cholera in Munich (1854 and 1873)
       • coronavirus in Germany (2020 and 2021)
  • Wo feiert man Oktoberfest in München? (Where is Oktoberfest celebrated?)
    1. city: München and southern Bavaria / Bayern
    2. area: Theresienwiese / meadow in the center of the city and at the foot of a hill dominated by the huge statue of „die Bavaria" (Lady of Bavaria)
    3. place: Festgelände (festival grounds), with big and small beer tents, wine tent, food tents, amusement rides, sideshows, game booths, & exhibits