Oktoberfest parade by jayhawk2000
On the morning of the first Sunday of Oktoberfest you can see a grand parade march through the city out to the Theresienwiese grounds (or Festwiese as it's known during the beerfest).I'm told about 7,000 people take part in the procession, most dressed in traditional costumes and marching along to bands. The breweries sponsor decorated carts pulled by great drayhorses. Pulling up the rear is array of livestock...thoroughbreds, oxen, even goats.
It's a colourful and noisy display of ribbons, flags, harvest garlands and non-stop yodelling. Altogether it lasts about two or three hours, but unless you have a seat in one of the stands along the way you might find that after an hour you've seen enough troupes of riflemen in historical suede shorts to last you a lifetime.