Prague gears up for Oktoberfest celebrations
Germany’s iconic beer festival Oktoberfest is set to be celebrated in Prague in an upcoming four-day event. The festivities will see the Holešovice Market transformed into a Bavarian-style beer garden with free entry. db finds out more.
Prague is getting ready for its own preliminary Oktoberfest event this month which will take place from Wednesday 17 September to Saturday 20 September. The celebrations mark the fourth edition of Prague hosting the Munich-inspired festivities and will see the city get together with Bavarian beers, food, music, dancing, and singing.
The festival, as well as being free, will be open daily from 11am until 10pm and, according to local reports, visitors can expect six Bavarian classics on tap, including Hofbräu Dunkel, Paulaner, and Löwenbräu, alongside a selection of special Festbiers brewed exclusively for Oktoberfest by Munich breweries.
The event’s organisers outlined, when discussing the celebrations locally, how, “among the highlights will be a beer from Weihenstephaner, the world’s oldest brewery, which has been operating since 1040” and noted that “visitors will be served their beer in the traditional way—by the litre—just as in Munich.
The organisers have also revealed that to retain an authentic feel, attendees are encouraged to wear Bavarian clothing and, although this element is not mandatory, it was outlined that those who are “stylishly dressed” would be welcome, so beer fans might like to “look in your wardrobes and wear something Bavarian”.
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Beers will be paired with a range of classic Bavarian fare including pretzels, fresh radishes, sausages, and the cream cheese Obatzda, while it was noted that for those looking for something more substantial there will also be burgers and other dishes also available.
The event will additionally include live music, folk dancing, and traditional drinking songs, while beer contests are also planned for the celebrations such as classic stein-holding competitions.
Last year, at the official Oktoberfest held in Munich’s Karl-Stützel-Platz area, organisers said that in a bid to curb antisocial behaviour the beer festival would include a booze-free beer garden. This has not, as yet, reached Prague, but could be on the horizon in the future if the trends for reduced alcohol consumption continue. Connected to anti-social concerns, the song L’Amour Toujours was banned by the organisers of Oktoberfest in Munich last year after incidents where it provoked crowds to shout far-right chants to the tune.
Germany’s beer scene has struggled somewhat of late, despite being popular all over the world, amid these challenges, the Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague has, comparatively, also seen its exports surge and styles retain popularity for its traditions and pours, while still grappling with finding new ways to boost beer tourism. As such, the upcoming celebrations could be well-timed for both markets.
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