The ballroom at the Amari Pattaya proved to be an ideal venue for a great Oktoberfest party on Saturday, 19th of November.
Over two hundred guests, many of whom were dressed in traditional German attire were in attendance to recreate a small part of the famous Teutonic custom here in Pattaya.
In Germany the Oktoberfest runs for 16-18 days leading up to the first Sunday in October. Its foundations date back to 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, with the citizens of Munich being invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to commemorate the royal event. Oktoberfest is now celebrated annually by over 6 million merry-makers at events held around the world.
The start of the beer festival at the Amari began by the ‘tapping of the barrel’ on stage by the hotel’s resident manager Richard Gamlin, along with Helmut Buchberger, one of the chief organizers of the event in conjunction with the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce.
An authentic troupe of German musicians played a variety of traditional Oktoberfest songs that all seemed to include choruses prompting participants to bang beer glasses together and shout “Prost”.
One of the many sponsors for the evening was Paulaner beer and two types of this popular tipple were available on draught throughout the night. The tables were set out in a similar manner to the beer houses across Germany, with long tables and benches replacing individual chairs.
The food consisted of all the traditional German delicacies you would expect at an Oktoberfest celebration, such as roast sucking pig, Bratwurst, currywurst, Spätzle, Bratkartoffeln sliced hams, pate, salad, a selection of Thai dishes and many of German breads. This was followed by pancakes, Apfelkuchen cheeses and fresh fruits with vanilla sauce, all finely crafted by executive chef Shaun Venter.
