One of Calpe most emblematic and entertaining festivities takes place over eleven days in October: the Oktoberfest. In actual fact, the Calpe Oktoberfest holds the distinction of being the largest and also the first such event ever to be held in our country. Back in 1988, a group of German residents in Calpe got together.
Year after year they had remembered with great nostalgia the festivities that were taking place in their homeland, but in 1988 they decided to do something about it. Therein lies the origin of what is now a peculiar tradition in the Levante region.
Calpe Oktoberfest takes place beside the beaches of the Costa Blanca. It is organised by the Calpe Carnival Club who, at the outset, thought that organizing the festival would be a quite original way of raising money for the Carnivals in February. However, the Oktoberfest quickly took on a life of its own and such was its success that almost 27 years later it continues to be celebrated and has become part of the popular legacy of the town of Calpe.
For years, the commission moved to La Nucia, but the Calpe festeros did not want a party so deeply rooted in Calpe to be lost, so they renamed it under the "Octoberfesters" celebrating approximately on the same dates.
More than 10,000 people get together every year to enjoy the best that German cuisine has to offer, all washed down, of course, with a good Paulaner, Dunkell or Kristall beer, to name just a few. During the eleven days of the festivity, Calpe is with live music (particularly Bavarian music), folklore shows, competitions and of course, the opportunity to taste typically German produce including, it goes without saying, Frankfurter sausages, knuckles of pork and beer.
Some of the competitions and activities that are put on during the Oktoberfest in Calpe are quite curious. Anyone who feels up to it can take part in a competition that involves lifting up pitchers of beer or you can try your hand at sawing tree trunks… It's clear that there is little likelihood of being bored during the fair - the proof of the pudding is in the way in which the event is so well received by both local people and the Germans who live in the area.
By the way, an example of this integration and the fellowship that exists throughout the festivity can be seen by the way in which the German flavour of the event has blended extremely well with the most essential manifestation of the gastronomic culture of the Levante region: a paella competition is held every year! A perfect combination and as you can imagine, there is nothing quite like enjoying a good dish of rice washed down by a refreshing jug of Paulaner… A genuine fusion of flavours, styles and cultures here, in the Oktoberfest in Calpe.
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