Oktoberfest combines a beer festival with what kind of fair?

Oktoberfest combines a beer festival with a fun fair.

That description captures the event’s two-part character: large beer tents and Bavarian food operate alongside amusement rides, games, show booths, and other fairground attractions. Oktoberfest is therefore more than a beer celebration. In German, it is commonly described as a Volksfest, a large popular festival combining entertainment, food, drink, and communal festivities.

The event began on 12 October 1810, when Munich celebrated the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese. The original celebration included a horse race outside the city. Because the public enjoyed it, the event returned and gradually developed into the extended festival known today. The fairground attractions became an enduring part of its identity.

The festival now takes place on the Theresienwiese, named for Princess Therese, and usually runs from September into early October rather than beginning in October. The beer tents are its most internationally recognizable feature, but roller coasters, Ferris wheels, family rides, shooting galleries, food stalls, parades, and live music explain why “fun fair” is the precise answer rather than “beer festival” alone.