Oktoberfest is an over 200-year-old Bavarian festival that helps millions of people worldwide unite at a single place and forget their problems for 16-18 days. What originally was a wedding is now a grand celebration of tradition and culture. We can call Oktoberfest the most extended wedding celebration in history, but this is an unofficial record that is not even considered. In the festival’s long history, several notable events and moments have booked their place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is a stressbuster for millions of people. It is a beer festival held annually in Munich, Germany. Attracting an average of six million visitors annually, four times Munich’s population, Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the world. It is organized at the Theresienwiese grounds in the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt neighborhood and features several large and small beer tents, delicious Bavarian food, traditional music performances, and assembled parades.
The massive influx of people who gather for Oktoberfest makes Munich a global village, creating a decent tourist turnover. The guests are in great numbers, and there’s a need for skilled workers. Oktoberfest produces 13,000 jobs every year, 8,000 of which are permanent. With its constant success, Oktoberfest makes up 2% of Munich’s GDP yearly, generating around €1.2 billion.
Records Held by Oktoberfest | Bavarian World Records
Let’s take a look at some of the highest feats achieved by Oktoberfest, essentially by the state of Bavaria, that relate to Oktoberfest:
The Biggest Beer Party Ever
The 2023 Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, set the record for the largest attended beer party. With great weather throughout the 18 days of the festival, 7.2 Million attendance was recorded, around 4,80,000 of which were at the Oide Wiesn. The report states that it was a relaxed festival from start to end, attended by people of all ages, from children to older people. The Oktoberfest boss, Clemens Baumgärtner, also said:
“We have experienced an Oktoberfest like out of a picture book, characterized by a summery, relaxed attitude to life.“
Largest Temporary Amusement Park
Up to 50 portable mechanical rides are gathered at the Theresienwiese grounds every year during Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, to create the largest temporary amusement park. Oktoberfest constantly holds this world record and repeats it annually.
Most Beer Drank at a Festival
While the 2023 Oktoberfest managed to gather the largest crowd, the 2011 Wiesn still holds the record for the largest beer consumption at a festival. An accurate 79,225 hectolitres of beer were served to set the record, which still holds.
Most Beer Steins Carried Over 40m
Carrying multiple beer steins is an Oktoberfest tradition and somewhat of a necessity. To serve the huge number of guests, waiters and waitresses at the Oktoberfest tents dressed in Dirndl, Bundhosen and German Lederhosen men carry up to a dozen steins at a time. While it is already not normal to carry 12, some people carry even more than double this, setting a world record. There are separate records for male and female categories.
By Male – Michael Strum
Michael Strum, a German national, successfully carried 26 steins for 40m, breaking Oliver Struempfel’s long-held record of 25 beer steins. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed the record by posting a video and picture on social media.
The post mentions that Michael failed to carry 28 steins on his first attempt. Then He attempted with 26 steins and completed the 40m course with 98.33% accuracy, spilling just a tiny amount of beer. On September 27, 2017, he achieved the feat at Oktoberfest Brahma Extra São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil.
Although Oliver Struempfel has made an application for his new attempted record of 29 steins, no evidence has yet been provided.
By Female – Anita Schwarz
Another German National, Anita Schwarz, holds the record for carrying the most beer steins for 40m in the female category, with 19 steins to her name. She achieved the record in Munich, Germany, during Guinness World Records Day celebrations 2008.
The Biggest Gathering of People Dressed in Tracht Dresses
This record belongs to the Bavarian women. At the Allgäuer Festwoche fair, Kempten, Germany, in 2016, 3,134 women wore the traditional Dirndl/Trachten dress, setting a new world record that still holds.
Largest Beer Tent of All Time
The Pschorr-Bräurosl tent, built a few years after the 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest became the largest beer tent of all time. Sized at 5,500 square meters, it offered space for 12,000 guests in 1913. Today, it holds 8,250 people, while Hofbräu-Festzelt is the largest tent with a capacity of 10,000.
‘O’zapft is’ Record
The tapping of the first keg has been an Oktoberfest tradition since 1950, when the then mayor of Munich, Thomas Whimmer opened the first Oktoberfest barrel with the famous cry ‘O’zapft is’ meaning ‘Its Tapped.’ The former mayor, Christian Ude held the record for the least number of strokes to open the barrel, with just two. The record was leveled recently by the current mayor Dieter Reiter, in his second attempt.
Incredible Oktoberfest Facts to Blow Your Mind
While Oktoberfest is keeping its name alive in the record books and reaching new heights every year, a few things are often left unnoticed. Here are a few fun and amazing facts about Oktoberfest that will blow your mind away:
- The Sharp Shooter at Oktoberfest: Between 1960 and 1983, a regular Oktoberfest attendee named Karl Sorg had a unique way of capturing memories of his visits. He would head over to the shooting gallery with his rifle and pose as if he were aiming at the target. If his shot hit the bull’s eye in the center of the target, a photo of the shooter would be taken as a souvenir of the event. This was a fun and creative way for Karl Sorg to document his visits to the festival, and it certainly made for a unique collection of photographs over the years.
- The Highly Skilled Dogs: In 1880, a showman with a highly trained family of Astrakhan spitz dogs requested permission to perform at the Oktoberfest. He claimed that the dogs were skilled at playing cards and dancing and could recognize all the regents of Europe through photographs. The dogs were said to be an extraordinary breed, capable of performing various tricks that left the audience amazed and entertained.
- Extraordinary Beer Consumption: In 1901, two gentlemen by the names of I. and M. Hager were awarded a certificate for their impressive feat of drinking ten beers in the Lang beer stand.
- Children Drinking Beer for Advertisement: In the past, Oktoberfest postcards used to depict children drinking beer, not just the famous Münchner Kindl, but also other toddlers. This practice may seem surprising and even alarming today, but it was standard then. The Münchner Kindl was initially depicted as a male figure until the 1930s when it was transformed into a girl. This change was made to reflect that the city of Munich was historically ruled by powerful women such as Empress Theresa and Queen Bavaria.
