The 2009 Munich Oktoberfest kicks off on September 19th and celebrates the 176th year of the world’s biggest party.  This year reservations are high, even the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ cant dampen the Oktoberfest spirit – so if you are planning to attend get in early and book your table, you don’t want to miss out.  This year beer will cost between 8.30 and 8.60 euro a litre or Mass and there is bound to be about 7 million litres of it served, along with half a million chickens, 150,000 sausages, 60,000 pork knuckles and over 100 oxen.    Construction of the huge tents are underway and this year there are some new rides and attractions making it bigger and more fun than ever.  Some of the services stats are incredible with nearly 1000 toilets needed, 800 metres of urinals, 27 of Munich’s daily water use and 14% of their electricity. About half a million people are expected to attend every day of the 16 day event.

For more beer and Oktoberfest stories visit our Beer Blog  http://www.hoppsy.com

If there is one thing almost as popular as beer, pretzels and pork at Oktoberfest it has to be the humble potato or “Kartoffel” in German. Around Oktoberfest they are normally presented as a tasty shredded potato Pattie that has been fried in hot oil and served golden brown with apple sauce but at the Potato Museum the potato is present in art form along with a bit of history of the Potato. The Potato Museum or “Die Kartoffelmuseum” is claimed to be the world’s only museum that is dedicated to the potato and is fittingly situated in Munich. So if you are heading to Munich for Oktoberfest this year make sure you try out a tasty Kartoffel like the one pictured above or even head over to the Kartoffelmuseum, their website link is below, its in German so you may want to run it through a translator to get the low down on location and opening times etc.

http://www.kartoffelmuseum.de/museumseite.html

Stuttgart is not only the home of Mercedes Benz and Porsche it’s home to the annual Cannastatter Volksfest- the second largest beer festival in Germany (or the world for that matter) after Munich. The centerpiece of the festival is the huge Ferris Wheel and 24 metre basket of fruit. The festival dates back to 1818 and now attracts over 3 million people to its two weeks of celebration. There are huge beer tents but they are not as big as that found in Munich, but its much easier to find a beer here as things are not quiet as busy.

This years event starts today and goes through until the 12th of October.

http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/leisure/volksfest.htm

The worlds biggest event starts today in Munich, the 174th Oktoberfest. The celebrations will commence with the traditional tapping of the barrel by Munich’s Lord Mayor at 12 PM making way for over 6 million visitors to the festival over the following two weeks. Over six million litres of fresh German beer will be drank along with quarter of a million pairs of sausages, half a million roast chickens, plus paddocks of oxen and more pretzels than you could point a stick at. There are over 12,000 staff employed over the festival with 1600 waitresses, some can carry a dozen full litre beers at once. The huge tens seat over 100,000 people in total at any one time and with all the beer and food the site needs over 1800 toilets.

Official Site: http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/index.php

For more infomation visit our Beer Blog at www.hopsy.com

Olympia Looping is the worlds largest portable steel rollercoaster and is one of the more notable rides found at Oktoberfest in Munich each year. The huge ride features 5 loops- the Olympic rings which give huge g force to the rider. The structure is monstrous it weighs over 875 tonnes and takes up a space 85 metres by 36. The highest point is about 32 metres off the ground and it has a 26m drop. Speeds are in excess of 83 km per hour. Usually people queue for hours to ride the 1.45 minute ride, but the exhilaration is well worth the wait.

satellite view of the huge area where Oktoberfest is set up

A Munich delicacy is the this Kartoffel a shredded potato Pattie which is fried in hot oil until golden brown and then served with apple sauce. It is a great snack and goes well with a nice cold beer.

This photograph was taken at the Kartoffelhaus stand at Munich’s Oktoberfest where thousands were served every day and for only one Euro its not hard to see why. No visit to Munich would be complete without trying one or two of these tasty treats.

Satellite view of the huge area where Oktoberfest is set up.

Oktoberfest in Munich Germany is all about beer, swine and fun but one tent dares to be different it serves smoked herrings. These tasty morsels are cooked in large charcoal grills outside the pavilion as they would smell it out. You can smell these fish a mile off- well not quite but they do have a distinctive strong odour. Hundreds are served every hour on a platter with salad, pate, bread and other German specialties.

Satellite view of the Oktoberfest area in Munich.