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