It doesn’t get much better than a well planned Oktoberfest party. From its humble start as a wedding party in 1810 Oktoberfest has swept the world to become one of the most recognised party themes. In fact the traditional Bavarian costume of lederhosen and felt hat which has been associated, rightly or wrongly, with the drinking culture of Oktoberfest is now the fastest growing Stag Night themes around.
The October Festival (translation of Oktoberfest) began with the state fair that was proclaimed to celebrate the wedding of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hillurghausen during the October of 1810. The celebrations continued annually and were soon incorporated with the agricultural show held around the same time and from this beginning has grown the Oktoberfest we have today.
Starting during the second week of September and running through to the end of October, Oktoberfest has become an enormous festival with huge tents raised on Theresienwiese field in Munich along with huge fairgrounds with shooting galleries, fairground stalls and side-shows along with all manner of other amusements and activities.
Simply know to the local population as ‘Wies’n the celebrations commence with a procession of the brewers drays (wagons) which are decorated especially for the occasion and the tapping of the first barrel of the specially brewed Wies’n beer by the Mayor of Munich, a celebration which takes place precisely at midday and which is greeted by a salvo of cannon.
If you are throwing your own Oktoberfest party then we have a few useful ideas to assist you. First, let’s look for some unusual ideas for your invitations. The most common ‘snack’ food at Oktoberfest is the pretzel and one great idea is to get some large pretzels and either attach an invitation to it, or if they are large enough to be boxed, write the invitation inside of the box lid. To attach an invitation to an individual pretzel the best idea is to use a luggage label or any label that fits with the overall theme. If you are using the luggage label trick, the words ‘let us transport you to ……’ always fit well.
If you are designing your own invitations, Oktoberfest is always represented in the blue and white chequer board design which is part of the regions identity. This design and these colours would naturally flow through your room or yard decoration and most on-line party stores stock Bavarian themed decorations including flags, Oktoberfest bunting, hangers, beads and other goodies.
One of the fun parts of an Oktoberfest party is the costumes. This is a great opportunity for a themed fancy dress party with both the men and women dressing in stylised Bavarian costumes complete with long plaited wigs – er, for the ladies, and a choice of either the traditional pointed grey felt Bavarian hat or one of the green or brown hats complete with feather, the grander the better! Again, most online costume retailers will be able to offer you a selection of costumes to choose from based around lederhosen for the men and charming Heidi or Bier Maid styled dresses for the ladies.
Clearly, any Oktoberfest party should have some German beer but if you can’t find any then lager is a perfectly acceptable substitute. With the food, its pure indulgence with traditional foods like, German sausage, potato salad, sauerkraut, sweet or pickled cabbage with scrumptious Black Forest gateaux for dessert. There are some fantastic on-line recipe sites which will give you a selection of food ideas as well as itemising a complete Oktoberfest menu. And don’t forget the pretzels.
Oktoberfest Party Decorations help you celebrate Oktoberfest when you can’t make the trip to Germany. Host an Oktoberfest Party in your own home with our Oktoberfest party supplies and costumes. We have a large selection of Oktoberfest themed party supplies available from stock and which are sure to make your party a success.
