OKTOBERFEST

On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities and celebrate the happy royal couple. 40,000 people showed up to enjoy the events in the fields in front of the city gates. The celebrations took place over five days and horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the event. The decision to repeat the horse races the following year gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest. Today, Munich’s Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world with over 6 million annual visitors.