Oktoberfest in September

Oktoberfest has been celebrated in Germany since time immemorial, when a Bavarian prince married a Saxon princess at the gates to the ancient city of Munich. His job was flexible, as we understand it, and this was back when government jobs were stable and good, so his wedding went on for days. Either the horse show or the endless pints so impressed the townspeople that they rallied for a repeat the next year, and, partly thanks to the Bavarian Agricultural Society, the annual Oktoberfest was born.

Why are we talking about Oktoberfest, and why now, scarcely at the start of September? Not for the sake of the lederhosen, although we support costumes in general and, in particular, ones that strike such a difficult balance between dorky, sexy, chauvinistic, gleeful, and, at least in some cases, ironic. Oktoberfest, like the city of Munich, has a complicated history, such that one might be compelled to dismiss it outright as some kind of quasi-racist cultural appropriation or misplaced heritage contest. But it’s also a chance to, well, drink beer—lager, specifically. And its name notwithstanding, as a friend with an encyclopedic memory has explained while debriefing us on one or another Oktoberfest, the celebration traditionally begins in September.