Unveiling Oktoberfest: Top 10 Fun Facts You Never Knew About the World's Largest Beer Festival

1. Oktoberfest Souvenir Shenanigans

When it comes to party souvenirs, forget t-shirts and keychains - it seems Oktoberfest-goers in Munich have a penchant for taking home something a little more "stein-ky": In the recent Oktoberfest, a staggering 226,000 beer mugs were pilfered, with lost and found overflowing with over 1,000 identity cards, 390 mobile phones, and 370 pairs of eyeglasses. On a lighter note, a grasshopper also made its way to the lost and found, while violent incidents involving stein-smashing dropped and the police enjoyed a bit of a breather with 100 fewer calls.
Source => npr.org

2. The Lederhosen Store: Costume Haven

Feeling a bit "wurst" for wear or looking to be the "Dirndl" of the ball? Fret not, for there's a place where you can find all the dashing duds and delightful dresses to make your Oktoberfest Über-fabulous: The Lederhosen Store specializes in authentic German Oktoberfest attire like lederhosen, dirndls, Bavarian shirts, waistcoats, socks, shoes, and hats, all made from high-quality materials for maximum frolic-ready durability.
Source => lederhosenstore.com

Did you know that in Germany, St. Nicholas has a wild sidekick, Knecht Ruprecht, who carries a kid-sized sack not for punishing naughty children but to serve as a helper during Christmas? Find out more about this intriguing tradition!

=> Fun Facts about Christmas-In-Germany

3. Horse Racing: Oktoberfest's Origin

Before horses were neighing "Prost!" and clinking steins together: Oktoberfest actually began in 1810 as a horse race in honor of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese's marriage, with beer only becoming the festival's centerpiece in the late 19th century when beer tents were introduced, transforming it into the world's largest beer festival and Bavarian cultural celebration, now entertaining millions of visitors every year.
Source => holyokeenterprise.com

4. Sudsy Centennial Celebration

Hold onto your lederhosen and raise those steins, folks: During Oktoberfest's sudsy centennial celebration in 1910, a whopping 120,000 liters of beer were guzzled down faster than you can say "Prost!" Despite 26 non-festive years brought on by pesky wars and epidemics, the granddaddy of beer extravaganzas perseveres, drawing millions of thirsty visitors from around the globe each year.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Mayor: Beer-Tapping Maestro

What happens when a mayor walks into an Oktoberfest tent with a mallet? He becomes the beer-tapping maestro, of course! : The Mayor of Munich traditionally kicks off Oktoberfest by tapping the first beer barrel at the Schottenhamel festival tent, aiming for the fewest blows possible before handing the inaugural beer to the Bavarian state premier, with the current record being two swift thwacks by former Munich mayors Christian Ude and Dieter Reiter. After the keg is tapped and twelve gunshots are fired, the legendary beer bash truly begins!
Source => oktoberfest.de

6. Masskrug: Official Oktoberfest Mug

Hold onto your lederhosen and let your steins runneth over with glee, for there's more to Oktoberfest's beer mugs than meets the eye: The official Oktoberfest beer mug, known as the masskrug, has a hearty capacity of one liter and features a dimpled Bavarian design, but contrary to best bar banter, there are no strict guidelines stating that only one-liter glasses can bear the prestigious title of Oktoberfest beer mugs.
Source => kegworks.com

7. Märzen Beer: Secret Speech Test

Just when you thought Germans have no sense of humor, they secretly spike their Oktoberfest beers with higher alcohol volume to test your speech's stability: The traditional Oktoberfest Märzen beer is brewed in March and aged till September or October, typically boasting a higher alcohol volume percentage of around 6 percent or more, compared to the standard 4.8 percent of a regular pilsner beer. So be warned: It's all fun and games until the Märzen hits, and you're left to navigate your way through a boozy labyrinth of linguistic gymnastics!
Source => northernpublicradio.org

8. Ochsenbraterei: Sustainable Ox Feast

Talk about being bullish on sustainability: The Ochsenbraterei tent at Oktoberfest serves around seven whole oxen each day, totaling roughly 90 locally-sourced, organic, and welfare-conscious oxen over the festival, proudly displaying each ox's weight and name, whilst also offering an array of other Bavarian dishes like ½ chickens, sausages, pork, duck, and even vegetarian and vegan options.
Source => oktoberfesttours.travel

9. Olympia Looping: World's Largest Portable Coaster

Hold on to your lederhosen and prepare to plunge into a world of Bavarian G-force ecstasy: Oktoberfest boasts the largest transportable rollercoaster in the world, Olympia Looping, which features a heart-stopping five loops, alongside a dizzying array of rides like swing carousels, toboggans, high-tech rollercoasters, and even a virtual reality adventure rollercoaster for adrenaline-seeking festive partakers of all ages.
Source => oktoberfest.de

10. Celebrity-Studded Oktoberfest

What do you get when you combine a pop prince, a Terminator, the queen of the Prior, and an intriguing Levitt(ation)? A celebrity-filled Oktoberfest, of course: In 2016, stars such as Justin Bieber, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shailene Woodley, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joined the beer-drinking revelry, donning traditional dirndls and lederhosen or sticking to their signature styles while enjoying the iconic German festival.
Source => sports.yahoo.com