Oktoberfest was born in 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese. Locals were invited to celebrate with horse races, feasts, and, of course, beer. The party was such a hit, Munich decided to do it again the next year. And the next. And the next. Over two centuries later, it’s the world’s largest folk festival, attracting millions each fall with steins, sausages, parades and polka.
German immigrants carried their love of Oktoberfest to the U.S., where it blended beer, music and community pride. The first U.S. Oktoberfest popped up in Cincinnati in 1976, a city long known for its strong German roots.
By the 1990s, Michigan had joined the fun—with Frankenmuth’s Oktoberfest becoming the first in the country officially blessed by Munich’s Lord Mayor in 1996. Prost to that!…