The Oktoberfest in Bavaria

Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The people of Munich were invited to the festivities in the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the wedding. The fields were then named Theresienwiese in honor of the Crown Princess Therese. The locals still call the festival the "Wies'n" today. Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the end of the event, which was celebrated as a festival for all of Bavaria. The first agricultural exhibition to promote Bavarian agriculture was launched as early as 1811.

There wasn't much fun or entertainment in the early years. Until 1818 when the first carousel and two swings were set up. Visitors were able to quench their thirst at small, fast-growing beer stands. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents. The rest of the festival area was taken up by a fair.

In 1850, the Bavaria, a bronze statue representing the patron saint of Bavaria as a female symbolic figure, was ceremoniously unveiled. To meet the growing culinary demands, the first chicken fryer was opened in 1885. Today, about 1 million half-chickens are consumed every year.The first official keg tapping ceremony was held in the Schottenhamel tent in 1950 by Thomas Wimmer, the mayor of Munich at the time. Since then, every year at the start of the Oktoberfest, it's "O'zapft is".