‘Tis the season to eat, drink, and be merry. Oktoberfest is upon us and it is the most enticing excuse UWL students will have to drink all year (as if living in La Crosse was not reason enough, am I right?). Oktoberfest has become a tempestuous tradition of drinks and lederhosen in La Crosse since its birth in 1961. That year La Crosse officials decided the city needed a community-wide activity to participate in, so naturally, day drinking and reckless behavior were the activities of choice. Granted, during that time the patrons of La Crosse most likely were not acting like the patrons of La Crosse do today when partying, but it’s all in good fun. Besides, our “party hard” mentality is what draws crowds of 150,000 annually.
But have we ever stopped to think what has brought us such a great holiday? How it began and whom we can thank for non-stop kegs and laugenbrezels (giant pretzels)?
The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810. It did not start off as the beer-drinking bonanza we think of it as today. It was actually a wedding reception to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, and the citizens of Munich were all invited to join in festivities in front of the city’s gate. The closing of the event was commemorated by horse races, and it was then decided to repeat the horse races that next October and so on and so forth. Thus, a tradition was born, and over time rides, beer and food were added.
The only beverage served at Munich Oktoberfest is beer that has been brewed in one of Munich’s six breweries. The beer must also be a minimum of at least 6% alcohol by volume. They are completely dedicated to the malty drink. If one does not like beer, they will simply be told not to go to Oktoberfest. It is fun to see the vast differences between Oktoberfest there and Oktoberfest here. Here, one pretty much drinks whatever they can get their hands on whether it be beer, wine, hard liquor, etc. Whatever we can find to have a good time.
It is no surprise that La Crosse Oktoberfest does not appear very family friendly. There are designated areas where children are permitted (carnival grounds, parade route, etc), but overall you don’t see many children hanging out at the fest. This is completely opposite in Germany. The fest in Munich is promoted towards families and permits children to enter all of the tents and celebration grounds. The only guideline fest goers must follow is that children under the age of six must exit the beer tents after 8 pm. So all you seven-year-olds are golden; party on.
Oktoberfest is a memorable time of the year, and as all the college students descend on downtown remember to have fun and locate the nearest first aid station. Prost!