As the National Day holiday nears, those looking to get in the spirit
early should check out the German beer festival at the Renaissance Yangtze
Shanghai Hotel, an annual orgy of merrymaking.
Oktoberfest was first celebrated in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Prince
Ludwig of Bavaria, later crowned King Ludwig the First.
The meadow upon which the festivities took place was renamed Theresienwiese
(Theresa's Meadow) in honor of the prince's new bride.
The main attraction of the event was a spectacular horse race, and it was at
the heart of every Oktoberfest till 1960.
The entire population of Munich were invited to the wedding and, once
underway, drank copious amounts of beer.
Today the festival is synonymous with beer, pork sausages and lederhosen
(leather shorts). It is estimated that 6 million people in Munich annually drink
6.8 million liters of beer to wash down the customary pork sausages.
Despite its name, Germans now usually start celebrating Oktoberfest in the
middle of September to take advantage of the good weather.
It typically ends on the first Sunday of October.
The Renaissance Yangtze in Hongqiao area has perfectly timed its celebration
of the event to coincide with the Shanghai Tourism Festival 2006 which kicks off
today.
Housed in a large tent erected in the front of the hotel, the enclosure was
packed with beer-loving, sausage-eating revelers of all ages on Wednesday night.
The crowd was fuelled by the popular Weihenstephan beer, a drop otherwise
unavailable locally. Half-liter glasses of the cold, tasty wheat brew were
served and appeared to be going down well with all in attendance.
Unfortunately, no commemorative stein glasses were sold.
There were plenty of smiling and often red faces, however, as the band, the
"Original Muenchner Musikanten" worked the crowd with an array of entertaining
antics such as tabletop dancing. The lederhosen-clad Germans were clearly
enjoying themselves as they belted out local favorites such as a surprisingly
accurate rendition of the Chinese hit "The Moon Represents My Heart."
Daniel Paul, a young American working for the nearby O Store, was not
impressed though. He bemoaned the lack of atmosphere, and suggested that the
music played was "top-40 20 years ago."
The atmosphere improved tremendously as the night progressed, however. The
dance floor, while initially populated by just a few stragglers, responded well
to the band's hokey-pokey, and was soon packed.
Shanghai Daily chose to live vicariously instead, remaining seated to neck
glass after glass of beer while spying on the intoxicated, well-dressed
middle-aged couples dancing to the cheesy tunes that fit the atmosphere well.
The buffet spread featured traditional pork sausages, which while tasty were
unfortunately cold; tender, juicy roast pork and local staples such as fried
rice and fried noodles. The food, while not fantastic, served its purpose - it
filled the stomach amidst the drinking.
Stephanie Thomas, the hotel's communications manager, was visibly pleased by
the evening's pleasantries. She was barely seen without mug in hand, and gamely
clinked glasses with guests as she made her rounds.
"This is the ninth year that the Renaissance Yangtze has held this event,"
the American said. "It's become a community event, and it is something that
local people can look forward to."
The beer festival runs through September 30. Tickets are 218 yuan (US$27.25)
on Monday to Thursday, and 238 yuan on Friday and Saturday and 198 yuan on
Sunday.
Address: 2099 Yan'an Road W.
Tel: 021-62750000 ext 2366
