Which war caused Oktoberfest to be cancelled in 1813?

Oktoberfest was cancelled in 1813 because of the War of the Sixth Coalition.

The festival began in 1810 and was repeated in 1811 and 1812, but the Napoleonic Wars disrupted Munich’s celebrations. In 1813, the War of the Sixth Coalition made it impossible to stage the event normally, so Oktoberfest was cancelled.

The Sixth Coalition was an alliance led by Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, Britain and several German states against Napoleon’s French Empire. The conflict intensified after Napoleon’s disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia and culminated in major fighting in Germany during 1813. Bavaria, which had previously allied with Napoleon, changed sides during the campaign.

The answer is sometimes blurred into the broader phrase “the Napoleonic Wars,” which is historically understandable but less precise. The War of the Sixth Coalition is the specific conflict associated with the 1813 cancellation. Oktoberfest returned in 1814, when additional amusements, including skittles, swings and climbing poles, were introduced.