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Oktoberfest in Munich - The Beer World Capital

Beer servers keep crowds well-supplied...

Oktoberfest!

It has a long history and a romantic back story beginning with the celebration of the the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to his lady fair Therese von Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810.

The royal couple pulled out all the stops for the festivities during which the beer flowed like ... well, liquid gold! And thus marked Germany's first ever Oktoberfest celebration.

Today, the Oktoberfest grounds in the center of the town are named after her: the Theresienwiese (Wiese means meadow), affectionately referred to by Munich folk as the "Wiesn", which has also become the term for the world's biggest fun fair itself.

Every year in late September, this huge area at the foot of the statue of Bavaria is turned into a vast "Festwiese" for 16 uproarious days until the beginning of October (the Oktoberfest always begins on the last Saturday but one in September and ends on the first Sunday in October).

More than a dozen beer tents stand ready to welcome thousands of visitors to Munich

The Wiesn is a festival for all the senses, a merry mixture of sideshows, traditional roundabouts, high-tech switchbacks, a Ferris wheel and "Super Loopings", small and larger sales stands for cotton candy, gingerbread hearts and roast almonds or for balloons, stuffed animals and other souvenirs, and, of course, the "landlords' alley" with the 14 beer tents of the Munich breweries.

Munich's importance as the beer metropolis is also underscored by the international trade fair "drinktec-interbräu", which takes place every four years at the same time as Oktoberfest.

More about Oktoberfest around the Web:

Welcome to Oktoberfest! - Check out the official site to find important times and dates along with more information on this year's festival.

Oktoberfest - Wikipedia - Learn more about the world's biggest beer party with a deep dig on its history along with photos and references.