Oktoberfest overseas

The home of the Oktoberfest may be in Germany, but you don't need to go to Munich to experience the famous Bavarian beer festival. Instead, you can head to London, Ohio, Sydney, Brazil - or even Palestine. Lederhosen and dirndl-clad waitresses are not regularly sighted in the US. But according to data from the US Census Bureau, as of 2010, almost 50 million people described themselves as being of German descent. So then, it is no surprise that the second-largest reported Oktoberfest outside Munich, with over half a million visitors, takes place in the American city with the biggest German population: Cincinnati, Ohio. There, Fifth Street becomes the stage for "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati," a quintessential German celebration that remains Midwestern through and through. And all across the US, hundreds of Oktoberfest celebrations, both large and small, testify to the significant contribution made by German migrants over several hundred years. Across the Channel Even in the Old World, accordions swinging to oompah music are as unusual in Britain as they would be in the US. And you would be right, but at London's Bavarian Beerhouse that is exactly what you will find. This enormous subterranean beer hall in central London is open to customers all year round, but puts on special celebrations to coincide with Oktoberfest. Unlike the German original that lasts just over a fortnight, this London fest - going strong since 2004 - is on for a full eight weeks. "We started with just two weeks," said manager Jessie Kalkun, "but it was so popular that we just kept adding on more weeks; people just seem to love it." The Oktoberfest bandwagon Down in the other hemisphere, Australians are already known to enjoy drinking - and not in small quantities. So it's no wonder they have also embraced the greatest celebration of beer: Oktoberfest. In Australia's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, a number of Oktoberfest celebrations are held. They take place at German breweries, German restaurants, university campuses, and pretty much anywhere people are looking for an excuse to imbibe and be merry. South America, like Australia, is a long way from Munich. But Blumenau, Brazil, founded by German settlers, plays host to the largest Oktoberfest in South America and one of the largest in the world. More than 500,000 people have reportedly been attending each year. Finally, a small village in Palestine's West Bank might seem an unlikely location for a festival celebrating beer. But that is exactly what has happened in the Christian village of Taybeh. In its eighth year, the only Oktoberfest in the Middle East celebrates Arabic food, music and their locally produced beer, also called Taybeh, which means "tasty" in Arabic. The festival is scheduled this year on October 6 and 7.  Oktoberfest celebrations have flourished in many countries, partly as a result of large-scale German migration over hundreds of years to all corners of the globe. But it can also be attributed to a widespread appreciation for Germany's national beverage: great-tasting beer.