Oktoberfest (German pronunciation: [ɔkˈtoːbɐˌfɛst] ⓘ; Bavarian: Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October.

The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the royal event.

However, the origins of the horse races, and Oktoberfest itself, may have stemmed from proposals offered by Franz Baumgartner, a coachman and sergeant in the National Guard.

Horse racing champion and Minister of State Maximilian von Montgelas presented Baumgartner with his gold medal.

The horse race continued until 1960, and the agricultural show still exists today and is held every four years in the southern part of the festival grounds.

This worldly Bavarian patron was first sketched by Leo von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticised and Germanised the draft.

The slogan proud city—cheerful country was meant to show the alleged overcoming of differences between social classes, and can be seen as an example of the regime's consolidation of power.

[10] Since 1950, the festival has always been opened with the same traditional procedure: At noon, a 12-gun salute is followed by the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the Mayor of Munich with the proclamation "O'zapft is!"

Federal and state law enforcement authorities initiated numerous official inquiries, concluding that a right-wing extremist, Gundolf Köhler, from Donaueschingen, a social outcast who was killed in the explosion, was the sole perpetrator.

With these rules, the organisers of the Oktoberfest were able to curb[dubious – discuss] the tumultuous party mentality and preserve the traditional beer-tent atmosphere.

After heavy losses in the 2008 local elections, with the smoking ban being a big issue in political debates, the state's ruling party implemented general exemptions to beer tents and small pubs.

A so-called historische Wiesn (historical Oktoberfest) took place,[24] starting one day earlier than usual on the southern part of the festival grounds.

[25] On 21 April 2020, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder and the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter announced the cancellation of the 2020 Oktoberfest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Söder noted the unfeasibility of social distancing in the festival's beer tents, adding, "Imagine there was a new wave and it then became a super-spreader event.

[31] The six main Munich breweries Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten presented a special exclusively brewed dark beer, which was made after a historic recipe from the early 19th century.

According to the Munich City Council Decision on 16 October 2012, the entry fee for the Historical Oktoberfest, now called Oide Wiesn (Bavarian for "old fairground"), in 2013 was to be three euros again.

[38] After the parade of the restaurateurs on carriages from downtown to the festival grounds, at exactly 12:00 clock the lord mayor opens the first beer barrel in the Schottenhammel tent.

In honor of the silver wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese, a traditional costume parade took place in 1835 for the first time.

* Bayerisches Zentral-Landwirtschaftsfest (Bavarian Central Agriculture Fair) Technical accidents have rarely occurred throughout Oktoberfest history.

The rides are extensively tested in advance, and the examination is performed by the cableways and temporary structures department of today's TÜV SÜD.

On 30 September 1996, there was a collision on the Euro Star roller coaster, which injured 30, and was caused by a worn safety brake that went unnoticed during inspection.

[57] To reduce the number of thefts, fights, and sexual assault cases during Oktoberfest, protection measures for visitors have been improved in recent years.

During the Oktoberfest, additional emergency vehicles are on the alert at the control centers, and extra staff is on hand in case they are needed.

The safety concepts of the event have been modified and adapted continuously over the past decades: The Oktoberfest is powered via 43 kilometers of cable and 18 partially underground transformer stations.

[63] To ensure sufficient capacity of cellular networks, each year several mobile masts are set up in the lawn areas surrounding the festival.

Since numerous festival goers make their way home by car despite having consumed alcohol, the Bavarian State Police carries out large-scale DUI controls.

Jamming devices are, however, illegal in Germany, and Faraday cages made of copper would have been too expensive, so these ambitious plans were dropped, and signs were placed instead, warning toilet users not to use cellular phones in the stalls.

[citation needed] More recently, amplifying live music in the toilets has led to them no longer representing a quiet retreat for telephoning.

From September 23 to October 2, 2011, the first "Viennese Wiesn" on the Kaiserwiese between Praterstern and Riesenrad in front of the Wiener Prater was visited by 150,000 people with three tents.

[74] Set in 1900, it focuses on the showman brewer Curt Prank as he transforms the festival into a global tourist attraction by replacing the local brewery stands with one large pavilion.