PetraSilie said:
I'm amazed to hear that the Bavarian Oktoberfest is known in other faaaar away continents especially in Downunder

Okay, once I saw a tv reportage of the Oktoberfest overhere and they interviewed a man from Japan who wore the Bavarian traditional Lederhosen outfit and hat
The local county fairgrounds hosts an annual Oktoberfest on Labor Day Weekend here, sponsored by Hofbrau and Budweiser. The latter runs 'weiner dog' (dachshund) races in one of the barns there during the event

( http://www.bereaoktoberfest.com/index.php )Went for the first time to it this past summer and had fun. Various cultural dance groups put on performances all day long (personally, I think the Russians were the most entertaining. The Greeks, Irish and Scots were also fun to watch. Dance groups: http://www.bereaoktoberfest.com/dancing.php ), other area groups were putting on beermaking and cooking demonstrations. ....and of course, lots of good food from a German restaurant and Polskie Delikatesy that had tents set up. ( http://www.bereaoktoberfest.com/menu.php )Also hilarious was one merchant's 'Glockenspiel'. Every hour or so, they'd start playing loud music and send out performers onto the upper level to put on a silly performance, do a dance, and then fling free t-shirts and frisbees and whatnot at the crowd below. ( http://www.bereaoktoberfest.com/gallery_2008.php click on 'Midway' then on images 5-15 )