Okay, so maybe tea isn’t the first drink you associate with Oktoberfest but let’s celebrate any way. The first Oktoberfest was in commemoration of Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese. Today it is the largest fair in the world.
This is a good tea party for inviting men. The food is a bit heartier than regular tea food and you can indeed serve beer if you like. If you live in a community with lots of ethnic German folks, you might even get the men to wear lederhosen.
Traditional Oktoberfest decorations are blue and white, the colors of the Bavarian flag. Make them the colors for your tea. A blue and white checked tablecloth or napkins really set the scene. But if you only have solid blue and solid white linens, use them. Blue and white ribbon attached to a wreath form and hung on your dining room light is simple to make and very festive. You can see similar decorations in the photo above.Now is the time to bring out all your Bavarian/German decorations. A Black Forest clock, posters of German castles, beer mugs holding flowers work well. For this tea party, kitsch is just the thing.
For sweet favors, give out Oktoberfest Lebkuchen Herz or Carnival Hearts. The real ones are very elaborately decorated gingerbread hearts but yours can be much more simple. They are made just like gingerbread Christmas ornaments. Don’t forget a ribbon for hanging. You can use them as place cards if you write each guest’s name on the heart.Oompah bands, of course are the music to feature. Any German folk music works well and might get your guests dancing. My local cable radio station is playing this kind of music now on their “Sounds of the Season” channel so maybe yours is too.
Tomorrow, the menu for the Oktoberfest Tea Party.
