On Oct. 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. A huge public festival was held on the fields outside the gates of Munich, including a horse race in the royal couple’s honor.The horse races were held again the following year, growing the festival into an annual occasion: Oktoberfest.As the festival grew, it added more and more rides, carnival games, agricultural shows and circus acts.The signature draw of the festival — beer — was initially offered at a few scattered stands. Those were soon replaced by massive tents and beer halls capable of seating 94,000 people.The beer served at Oktoberfest must be brewed within Munich and conform to various specifications. In recent years, attendees have downed over 6 million liters of the famous brew.
Source: The history of Oktoberfest is much bigger than beer
