Beer, by numbers

PROST! A waitress with the official Oktoberfest beer mug during a presentation in Munich.

PROST! A waitress with the official Oktoberfest beer mug during a presentation in Munich.

Published Sep 10, 2013

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Bavaria’s biggest beer bash broken down by boggling numbers.

1810 – The inaugural year of Oktoberfest. The event started in Munich when Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese invited citizens to celebrate their marriage on the lawns in front of the city gates. Although the original party took place on October 12, it was later lengthened and moved to September, in the hope of better weather. Accordingly, the modern-day version of the festival starts on September 21 and continues for 16 days (oktoberfest.de).

420 000 – The size, in square metres, of the Theresienwiese, official site of Oktoberfest, equivalent to 10 Wembley stadiums. The park comprises beer tents, carousels, rollercoasters and Lederhosen-wearing locals.

14 – The number of large tents that will serve festivalgoers. They include the Hacker-Festzelt (hacker-festzelt.de), with its cloud-painted ceiling, and the circus-themed Hippodrom (hippodrom-oktoberfest.de), which will serve sekt (sparkling wine) as well as traditional steins. A range of smaller tents, such as Bodo’s Café, will dish up pastries and cakes alongside cocktails (bodos.de).

6 000 000 – The volume, in litres, of beer that will be drunk. To coincide with all the consumption, there is a range of events. On September 21, horse-drawn carts representing each of the Munich breweries trot into town. On September 22, there’s a riflemen’s parade, flanked by livestock, flag-throwers and trumpeters. On September 29, there’s an open-air concert (muenchen.de).

70 – The height, in metres, of the new Sky Fall tower. Although Oktoberfest is more than 200 years old, the event continues to evolve. Other new attractions include the Odyssee rollercoaster, the Cobra ride and the Pirate Adventure funhouse. Save your thrills for the site with easyJet’s no-frills offer of two nights’ bed and breakfast at the Park Inn Hotel, including Gatwick flights on October 1, for £355 (R5 680) per person (holidays.easyjet.com).

6 – The number of official Munich breweries. The oldest is Augustiner, founded in 1328. Today, it has a beer garden onsite, proffering eight branded brews, including the six percent Oktoberfestbier, served exclusively at Oktoberfest (augustiner-braeu.de).– The Independent on Sunday

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