Frankenmuth was founded in 1845 by German-Lutherans as a mission colony, but also as a farming community. Besides religion and farming, the settlers also brought with them the knowledge of various types of other occupations such as baker, brick layer, black smith, lumber and grain millers, etc. In 1956 a local hotel was redecorated with a German look and given the name of the Bavarian Inn Restaurant, in honor of our German roots. In celebration of this, a festival was born that has become one of Michigan's oldest cultural events.
In 1990, in honor of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Frankenmuth initiated an Oktoberfest. This event was given the official blessing of the city of Munich, Germany in 1996. In 1997, the Hofbraeuhaus Brewery shipped its beer outside of Germany for the very first time to Frankenmuth to be sold at its Oktoberfest. Because of this, we now have four Hofbraeuhaus restaurants located in the United States.
Oktoberfest is a traditional celebration of German beer that originated in Munich in 1810 (to commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig) In Germany it takes place over a sixteen-day period, and includes the world’s largest fair. It’s considered an important part of German culture, with an estimated six million people in attendance each year. Annually Frankenmuth celebrates the festival the third full weekend of September. In fact Frankenmuth’s celebration is the only Oktoberfest outside of Germany that’s officially sanctioned by the city of Munich. The Frankenmuth Oktoberfest will be celebrating 23 years in 2012.