The German Club Manila in cooperation with the Mandarin Oriental Manila will stage again its Oktoberfest Manila at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio, on Friday, October 19 to Sunday, October 21, 2007.

This year, we will have a three-day celebration in the most authentic and traditional Bavarian fashion in South East Asia. Lufthansa will once again fly in the “Bavarian Sound Express” from Munich, Bavaria. The NBC Tent will be decorated and transformed into an “Oktoberfest Tent” and will be hosted by Mr. Albert Robert. An evening of non-stop fun, live music, delicious Bavarian specialties and beer (both as much as you want) will be offered. Great prices will be raffled off on Friday as well as on Saturday with return flights to Munich as main prizes. Raffle tickets will be available for P 200.00 each and a special price of P 500.00 if you buy three tickets at the German Club as well as in the NBC Tent on these evenings.

Both evenings start at 7pm. On Sunday, 21 October bring your family as we offer the traditional “Weisswurstfrühstück” (White Sausage Brunch) as well as entertainment for children. The Tent will be transformed into a place of fun, games, prizes and magic your children will love while you are enjoying the authentic Bavarian breakfast/brunch with the Bavarian Sound Express on stage. The Tent is open from 11am to 2pm.

Tickets are available at the German Club Manila for members. Below are the prices and dates of the event:

19 October 2007 P 1,850.00 (regular price P 2,000.00)
20 October 2007 P 1,850.00 (regular price P 2,000.00)
21 October 2007 P 750.00 (regular price P 800.00; Children under 12 years are free)

19 and 21 October 2007 P 2,450.00 (regular price P 2,700.00)
20 and 21 October 2007 P 2,450.00 (regular price P 2,700.00)

Discounted prices for German Club members are valid until October 5, 2007 after which regular prices apply. Tickets can be charged to your account or paid by cheque/cash. Please contact Ms. Ela Y. Estioko at 817-3552 or by email at info@germanclub.ph for bookings and table reservations. Copies of the floor plan are available upon request or on our website. Please be advised that the tables are on a “First Come, First Serve basis” and might not be available at the NBC Tent on Friday and Saturday evening.

Download our FLOORPLAN for ticket reservation (PDF format)

Download Friday’s raffle prize list (PDF format)

Download Saturday’s raffle prize list (PDF format)

Oktoberfest – In September?

Oktoberfest traditionally starts in the third weekend in September and ends the first Sunday of October.

What is Oktoberfest?

It began with the Royal Wedding on 12 October 1810.

Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The fields were renamed Theresienwiese (”Theres’a Fields”) to honor the Crown Princess, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to “Wiesn”. Horse races in the presence of the royal family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in subsequest years gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest.

The Oktoberfest continues in 1811

In 1811, an added feature to the horse races was the first Agricultural Show, designed to boost Bavarian agriculture. The horse races, which were the oldest – and at one time – the most popular event of the festival are no longer held today. But the Agricultural Show is still held every three years during the Oktoberfest on the southern part of the festival grounds.

More and more things to see and do

In the first few decades, the choices of amusements were sparse. In 1818, the first carousel and two swings were set up. Visitors were able to quench their thirst at small beer stands, which grew rapidly in number. In 1896 the beer stands were replaced by the first beer tents and halls set up by the enterprising landlords with the backing of the breweries. The remainder of the festival site was taken up by a fun-fair. The range of carousels offered was already increasing rapidly in the 1870’s as the fairground trade continued to grow and develop in Germany.

174th Oktoberfest in 2007
(21 September – 7 October 2007)

Today, the Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest festival in the world, with an international flavor characteristic of the 20th century.

At the foot of the Bavaria Statue, adjacent to the Huge Oktoberfest grounds there are also carousels, roller coasters and all the spectacular fun for the enjoyment and excitement of visitors of all ages.

The festivities are accompanied by a program of events, including the Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries, the Costume and Riflemen’s Procession, and a concert involving all the brass bands represented at the “Wiesn”.

The Oktoberfest celebrates its 197th Anniversary this year (2007), only Wars and cholera epidemics have briefly interrupted the yearly beer celebration.