Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival celebrating beer held annually in Munich, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Thanks Wikipedia.
Many people, including myself pre-September 2011, think of Oktoberfest as an absolute piss up, a huge drunken party. This in part is true but what surprised us about the festival was the 'family friendly' atmosphere and the variety of other activities on hand apart from drinking beer. This included food, rides and sideshows. Don’t get me wrong, the festival contains its fair share of drinking, but the majority of this is done inside the beer tents.
The drinking culture in Australia would inhibit such an event happening in our country. I shudder to think how this festival would go in Australia. “They are not a nation of snobs like the English or of extravagant boasters like the Americans or of reckless profligates like the French; they are simply a nation of drunkards." (Marcus Clark)
For me Oktoberfest really optimised the European way of enjoying a drink.
