If you like beer and two-week long parties in the streets, then you are in luck. Oktoberfest is here, starting in Munich on September 23rd and the party runs for 16 days. Beer apparently holds such significance that it needs a full 16 days to properly honor it, while other holidays get just one day.
The Munich celebration is one of the oldest festivals in the world, and it isn't just beer that makes the occasion worthwhile; there is also polka dancing and traditional music, along with bratwurst and sauerkraut. The traditional German food could certainly be a major draw, but it is mostly the cheap—and widely varied—beer.
While you should certainly make an effort to attend the Munich festival at least once, don't be alarmed if you can't make it this year. There are a number of cities in the United States that are pulling out all of the stops for their very own celebration of the German holiday. The largest Oktoberfest celebration will happen in Cincinnati, Ohio, with town officials changing the name temporarily to Zinzinnati for the festival. There will be around 52 different beers available, as well as traditional German food and a very unique schedule of entertainment.
Organizers are planning a stein hoist on Saturday night in cooperation with other cities that are holding their own festivals; namely, Denver, Chicago and Boston. These four cities will be striving to set a stein hoist record. Zinzinnati spokesman Chris Kemper said it would be known as "the stein hoist heard around the world." It may seem odd that there is —or will be—a world record for hoisting a beer stein, it should not be all that surprising. There is a world record for just about anything it seems.
Other US cities that are holding their own versions of this German festival include Columbus, Ohio, La Crosse, Wisconsin and Leavenworth, Washington.
Photo: Natasha Cloutier on Flickr.com
Gabriel Legend covers a variety of current event topics for Gather News, and writes horror fiction as well. You can follow him on Twitter (@GabeLegend) for the latest breaking news as it happens, or visit his personal website here.
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