Many special trains of the German Federal Railway bring in visitors from Germany's main towns and also from abroad. Thousands of coaches run special trips to the 'Wies`n', to give the Oktoberfest in Munich its traditional popular name.
When the Oktoberfest opens in Munich, all the brewers and publicans march in procession through the town accompanied by gaily decked carts and brewers' drays, drawn by teams of hefty dray horses.
No motorised vehicles are tolerated in this ancient procession. Punctually at 12 noon on the opening day the Lord Mayor of Munich ceremonially taps the first barrel of 'Wies`n' beer in one of the huge beer tents, as twelve salvoes are fired from small cannons situated on the Theresienhoehe.
On Sunday 20th September 2009, the 3-mile long Oktoberfest Procession makes its way through the town to the 'Wies`n' giving marksmen and others the opportunity to show off their regional costumes, accompanied by many bands in gala uniforms and some 100 groups of men and women in traditional costumes, not to mention hundreds of other participants from abroad.
The Munich Oktoberfest stands out as Europe's greatest popular Festival.
In fact, it attracts so many visitors from abroad that it can be truly described as a Festival of Nations. It will last 17 days and it is expected that millions of visitors from Germany and other parts of the world will gather there again.
Strong, dark 'Wies`n' beer is held in store by the large Munich breweries for this special occasion, as experience shows that during these 17 days of merry-making about one million fried 'bangers', over half a million roast chickens, some 78.000 roast knuckles of pork and countless portions of succulent meat from 53 roast oxen have to be washed down by about 9 million litre of that strong beer.
Besides the seven beer palaces set up by the large breweries, with their bands of musicians, the visitors can watch oxen being roasted on the spit, the Fischer-Vroni with a famous variety of Bavarian river fish, the hippodrome, the crossbowmen's marquee and the marksmen's marquee. There are special places where chickens are roasted, snack bars, fried shops and coffee house marquees.
There are shooting booths and some 50 fair-ground establishments, many roundabouts swing and side-shows, pony-riding rings and other entertainments and facilities reserved exclusively for children. The roads through the 'Wies`n' total 3 to 4 miles in length.
The Oktoberfest originated 185 year ago. Horsesraces and other popular entertainments were to celebrate the wedding of the Crown Prince who later became King Ludwig I of Bavaria and married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on the 17 October 1810.
The enormous fair grounds have been called 'Theresienwiese' after the Princess Therese. Soon the Harvest Festival was celebrated at about the same time and from this sprang the Central Agricultural Show.
The Oktoberfest has only been interrupted during wartime years. As Bavaria's national festival it is known throughout the whole world and this year all roads again lead to the 'Wies`n'. In 2007 6.2 Million people visited the Oktoberfest in Munich and consumed more than 7.1 Million litres of beer. The Oktoberfest 2007 again did live up to the expectations of the organizers and the visitors.