Löwenbräu-Festhalle—above the entrance is a 4.50-meter (15 foot)-high lion who occasionally drinks from his beer. This is overshadowed by yet another tower where an even larger drinking lion sits. One attraction, which does not exist at other festivals, is the flea circus. It has been an attraction at the Wiesn since 1948 and a "team" of about 60 fleas provide for the entertainment especially for the children. [70] Make sure you look the part drinking from your authentic German stein by wearing a great German hat with hat pin. We have a nice selection of hat feathers available, too. You’ll fit right in at a beer table in Munich or your kitchen table wearing an Alpine hat. Welcome in the Winter Holidays with Christmas Beer Steins At the end of the 19th century, a re-organization took place. Until then, there were games of skittles, large dance floors, and trees for climbing in the beer booths. Organizers wanted more room for guests and musicians which resulted in the booths becoming beer halls which are still used today. 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!" ("It's tapped!" in the Austro-Bavarian dialect). The Mayor then gives the first litre of beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. The first mayor to tap a keg was Thomas Wimmer.

The restaurants surrounding Oktoberfest can get very crowded, especially for outdoor dining. Plan accordingly. German food at Vail Oktoberfest Watch Traditional Bavarian Dances This is unlikely to be true, as contemporaries did not know fleas spread the disease. Instead, the prevailing belief was that it was spread through dangerous “miasmas”. The schedules and events are very similar from week to week.Some entertainment and vendors will vary slightly. During World War II, from 1939 to 1945, no Oktoberfest was celebrated. Following the war, from 1946 to 1948, Munich celebrated only the "Autumn Fest". The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer—2% stronger in gravity than normal beer—was not permitted; guests could only drink normal beer. Collectors may examine our Peter Duemler collection, a series of beer steins produced by Mr. Duemler himself, one of the finest stoneware beer stein modelers of all time.Lionshead Village – Vail Oktoberfest (about an hour before the festivities started) Vail Oktoberfest Things To Do Watch Or Join A Contest

In 2004, a new service center was placed in the authorities court, in which the police, the Munich Fire Department, medical services, and a department of district administration is located. During the Oktoberfest, a police station specifically for the festival is installed, and can be reached with the emergency number 5003220.One famous song in a beer tent is " Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" which means translated "A toast to cheer and good times". The band leader plays this song several times to invite the guests to toast and drink. [74] Daytime tunes are primarily folk and Bavarian music. The bands do a great job of keeping it lively.