Ever wonder how Oktoberfest originated? The marriage of King Lugwig I of Bavaria, and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hilburghausen on October 7, 1810. These parties were soon intertwined with this time of the year, except during various times throughout World War I & II. Since the 1950’s there has been a traditional twelve gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 by the incumbent Mayor of Munich with the cry “O’ zapft is!, or It’s tapped in English, opens the Oktoberfest and good times are had by all.

Today you’ll find huge fairgrounds with shooting galleries, concerts and fun shows along with all tons of other activities. Munich is ground zero for the best party action, it is also where more than 6 million people visit each year. German transport authorities organise special coaches and trains to Munich’s ‘Wies’n’ celebrations, the traditional popular name for the festival. Thanks to so many years of success it as reached global popularity, and has also been nicknamed as the Festival of Nations.

We took part in the festivities last year as we were gathering content on our yearly trip. I can tell you now that we’ve never seen the trains so packed! We stayed outside of Munich for the most party and used our Germany Eurail Pass to get in and out of the city when we could. Hotels were obviously a bugger to get so we didn’t even try that, oh well, I guess we’ll have to visit again next year.

Partying for Oktoberfest is a great opportunity for a themed costume party in stylized Bavarian costumes complete with long wigs and a choice of either the traditional pointed Bavarian hat, or one of hats pinned with a feather. The traditional German fashion was influenced heavily by rural farmers and peasants of Austria and Germany.

If you choose to buy an Oktoberfest costume then the options will be between hunting around your local party store, or shopping online through an internet based fancy dress costume site. In either case, they should also be able to offer you a selection of very authentic looking Alpine Hats, other appropriate shoes as well as a selection of associated party goods

If you can’t make it to Munich you can most likely find a celebration going on in your city. This will give you a chance to enjoy the traditional Oktoberfest celebration complete with food, beer and good people. Start the night off with traditional Bavarian foods which include chicken, roast pork, grilled fish, sausages, pretzels, bread or potato dumplings and more. Last year over 6.5 million visitors came Munich’s Oktoberfest feast, and new takes on traditional Bavarian foods. If you enjoyed your hometown party, make sure you do the real thing once in life.

This steam engine carries tourists between the valley towns all the way up to the highest point in Central Germany, the Brocken mountain top. The huffing and chuffing, the smell of the coal smoke, the choooo chooo of the train whistle all evoke feelings of an era long in the past for railroad enthusiasts. This shot wasn’t perfect since I was rushing to get the shot before the train left the station. Brocken is the highest point in Northern Germany and is in the Harz Mountains. Nearby is the Unesco world heritage town of Quedlinburg and the Hexentanzplatz , all in which are reachable by car.

I absolutely love this video of a snow clad Germany and a steam train passing through town. I know it’s summer right now, but the magical feel of a steam train ride through the snow here is a must travel one day. This is probably the best departure of a steam train from drei annen hohne, with some heavy horn blasts and a car-train horn.

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