The Oktoberfest festivities were first held in 1810 on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig, who would later become King Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

Citizens of Munich were invited to attend festivities held in the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the Royal event. The fields were named “Theresienwiese” (Theresa’s meadow) in honour of the Crown Princess. They have kept that name ever since although the locals have since abbreviated the name to the “Wies’n”.

Since then this event has grown year on year to become the world’s largest Volkfest (popular festival) today. Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture that has been exported across the world, modelled after the original Munich event.

In the same spirit, the Bailliage of Xi’an held a dinner mid-September. As the tradition dictates, Kai Behrens, General Manager of the Kempinski Hotel and our Bailli Provincial, Jean-Philippe Jacopin, officially opened the dinner festivities at the Paulaner Brewery situated within the hotel with the customary “Beer barrel tapping” and the proclamation “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped”).

The service brigade, dressed in the traditional Sennerhut and Lederhosen for men and the Dirndl for women, served a menu especially created for the event by Chef Leon Shinwonseok¹, who interpreted traditional German dishes with a contemporary twist. The courses were paired with beers brewed on-site by the Kempinski Brew Master, Benjamin Keller.

Guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves in a truly Oktoberfest atmosphere!

Marlène Jacopin


¹ Chef Leon Shinwonseok is a South Korean national. After completing his training at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu in France, his passion for food and gastronomy took him to the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris, the Paul Bocuse Institute and the Restaurant le Gourmet de Sèze in Lyon. To further his culinary experience, his travels took him to Noumea, New Caledonia, where he acquired extensive knowledge of exotic cuisine before returning to work in Korea. But once again he was on the road of culinary experience which this time has brought him to the Kempinski Hotel Xi’an.