Cincinnati's big German heritage festival starts today, and to clear up some mysteries about it, here's WVXU's Bill Rinehart with a mini version of OKI Wanna Know.
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati got started in 1976 at Fountain Square. Local German heritage historian Don Heinrich Tolzmann says the original party happened long before that in Munich.
“It goes back to a wedding party. October 12, 1810, and on that date, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Theresa, a princess from a neighboring state,” he says. “They had a huge wedding party.”
Tolzmann says the Bavarians had so much fun, they decided to celebrate the one-year anniversary.
But, a lot of people ask, why is Oktoberfest in September?
“There was inclement weather, and so that caused the festival to be moved back.”
Why didn't the name change? Why isn't Septemberfest a thing? Tolzmann says: tradition.
“I think that’s because of the original festival in Munich — going back to the tradition of when it originally began.”
He says Oktoberfest Zinzinnati grew out of the nation's bicentennial, and no one was sure if it would be a one-time thing or not, until 1977 when they did it again.
“It was just like in Munich! Every year, and it got bigger and bigger and bigger and better.”
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati may be the biggest locally, but it's not the first such event.
Tolzmann says in 1966, the Liberty Home German Society in Hamilton first celebrated Oktoberfest.
“Then in 1971 the Germania Society started celebrating Oktoberfest. It was first held in Harvest Home Park,” he says.
Tolzmann says that first Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was at Fountain Square and drew about 25,000 people.
Oktoberfest starts Thursday afternoon at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove, and runs until Sunday night.
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