Puppy Dog Music: Attention Accordion-Watchers and Music-Lovers: Oktoberfest is almost here ..... in August

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

It's just too cold in October for an outdoor festival - especially here in the Utah Wasatch Mountains where the world-renowned Snowbird Ski Resort opens their Oktoberfest on August 20th, 2011. Most Oktoberfests around the U.S. tend to take place in September, and a few as late as October, in warmer climates, while indoor festivals circumvent the weather issues altogether.
Today's worldwide Oktoberfest tradition originated in 1810 (200 hundred years ago!) with a gala outdoor party intended to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen - the event too place just outside Munich and was open to the general public ( a very unusual gesture ) - forty thousand people showed up and a yearly tradition had begun. The early years centered around horse-racing and an agricultural show until beer and food stands were introduced in 1818. Remarkably, it is still held in the same location!
The festivals are world-wide now and center around music, dancing, food and beer. To people who have never attended one, Oktoberfests are sometimes thought of as "public-intoxication-parties" but, in my experiences with a number of festivals, that is not the case. Sure, in some isolated venues with the heavier pop-rock-polka bands and lots of college-aged attendees testing their newly discovered alcohol-consumption skills, things can get a little rowdy but, for the most part, the festivals are family oriented and civilized events and disorderly conduct is not tolerated.

Oktoberfest in Munich attracts over 6 million visitors, dispenses over 7 million liters of beer, requiring 1800 restrooms, serving 505,000 chicken servings, 69,000 pork knuckles. In a highly debated move, they will be instituting a festival-wide smoking ban this year as a trial-run for a permanent ban starting next year. . These festivals in general employ thousands of musicians and entertainers donning traditional festival garb as well as vendors and artists selling their wares. If you request the Chicken Dance, any of the bands will know it, but be sure to tip well because they have likely already played it 50 times that day.
Be sure to read my previous post about the perennial favorite instrument of the Oktoberfest, the Alphorn.