We’ve advanced our calendar to October and swapped Lobster Fest for Oktoberfest (insert a rousing cheer!). At Bon Appétit Restaurant, Oktoberfest is a month-long event with a menu of delicious, authentic German food complimented by an excellent selection of German beers. Our Oktoberfest is more like an homage to the real Oktoberfest.  Here are some things you may not know about Oktoberfest, and a comparison between the original event in Munich, and the one we celebrate at Bon Appétit…

Origins

  • The first Oktoberfest took place on October 12, 1810. It was a three-day celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sax – Hildburghausen. After that, it was brought back the next year as a show to promote Bavarian agriculture.
  • A horse race was an important part of Oktoberfest until that stopped in 1960.
  • The carnival part of Oktoberfest didn’t begin until 1816, just six years after the first one.

Oktoberfest in Germany – then and now

  • Before Oktoberfest was known as the worldwide party it is today, it was known for traditions and original dances.
  • Beer used to be brought in by horse and wagon. That tradition has since turned into a parade that begins in Munich at Maximilianstrasse and ends at the Oktoberfest fairgrounds which kicks off Oktoberfest.
  • What began as a three-day long celebration in the middle of October has morphed into a 16-day event that begins in late September and ends in early October because of the more favorable weather.

German Oktoberfest vs Bon Appétit Oktoberfest

  • Oktoberfest duration: 16 days (includes three weekends)
  • Bon Appétit Oktoberfest duration: All of October
  • Average Oktoberfest beer tent capacity: 7,000-10,000 people.
  • Bon Appétit Restaurant capacity: 515 people
  • Most popular food item at Oktoberfest: grilled chicken
  • Number one food item at Bon Appétit’s Oktoberfest: schnitzel
  • First Oktoberfest: October 12, 1810
  • First Bon Appétit Oktoberfest: October 1977

What are you waiting for? Come celebrate with us!