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The Royal Origins in Munich

In October 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. In an unprecedented gesture, Ludwig extended an open royal wedding invitation to the entire city of Munich. Over 40,000 citizens gathered in a large open field just outside the city walls—a location later christened Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s Meadow”) in the bride’s honor.

“To entertain the massive crowd, the royal couple hosted a grand horse race accompanied by hearty feasts and copious amounts of local Bavarian beer.”

The celebration was such a sensation that the city chose to repeat the festivities the following autumn in conjunction with the state agricultural show. Over the centuries, Munich’s brewers expanded the festival into the world-famous 16-day celebration known today. To take advantage of warmer autumn evenings, the official fest in Germany was eventually shifted to kick off on the third Saturday of September, running through the first weekend of October.

Sacramento’s Premier German Tradition

Founded on June 2, 1854, the Sacramento Turn Verein is the oldest active cultural and athletic organization in Sacramento. For 57 years, the STV has carried forward the spirit of Munich’s original harvest celebration, bringing authentic German culture, heritage, and community to Northern California.

Every October, our historic halls and open-air Biergarten transform into an authentic Bavarian festival. Featuring genuine German biers poured to strict purity standards, traditional folk dances by our own Alpentänzer Schuhplattler, live choral performances by STV Harmonie, and traditional scratch cooking from our kitchens, the STV Oktoberfest remains the region’s most authentic German celebration.