This should have been published more than a couple of weeks ago now when it actually took place, but things have been ever so slightly hectic in these parts, and I am far more unorganised than usual (which by the way, is not very!)! And so this poor post has been sitting\u00a0 half-written and stuck in my draft folder, with photographs itching to be uploaded…<\/p>\n
But instead of consigning it to the archives to be possibly dusted off next year, I thought I would finish it and publish it now, as you might like to see what happens around the time that Oktoberfest actually starts…<\/p>\n
The proceedings kick off with two parades, one on the Saturday lasting for around an hour, and consisting of the huge Munich Breweries supplying the important stuff, the waitresses, and the bands that will play in the bier tents.\u00a0 And all decked out in their very finest…<\/p>\n
And then there’s this one –\u00a0 The Costume and Riflemen’s Parade. \u00a0 I think this is a part of the proceedings that perhaps very few tourists visiting “The Biggest Bier Fest in the World” even know about, as they sit in those enormous tents downing Ma\u00df after\u00a0Ma\u00df of bier.\u00a0\u00a0 But to me, it was probably one of the most impressive things about the whole event – a procession that must come under one of the world’s biggest categories in itself (it is 7km long and takes almost three hours to complete after all…).\u00a0 It’s made up of a\u00a0 huge spectrum of participants,\u00a0 from the Breweries to the more historic trades such as the hop-pickers, ice-sellers, hunters and alpine horn blowers, and all in various regional costumes – not only from Bavaria, but Austria and Italy, Switzerland and Poland too…<\/p>\n
If you would like to read more about it, you can here<\/a>, but for now I will leave you with a few pictures of the day.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Better late than never?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Procession-JPG2.jpg\" "\\"Procession")
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