Maria Jose is a locally-born professional office specialist with bilingual secretarial studies who has been working in an array of companies in the town of San Roque and Sotogrande, joining the BM Team in 2015.
The original Oktoberfest was born in Munich in 1810 🎉, as the celebration of a royal wedding 👑💍, and over the centuries it has become the most popular mass festival in the world, with beer tents 🍻, Bavarian music 🎶 and German food 🌭🥨 taking centre stage.
In Spain, this tradition arrived later: it was in the late 1980s that the first ongoing editions began to be organised, driven mainly by the growing German and Central European community living on the coast 🌊, as well as by Spaniards' interest in joining such a visual and festive celebration ✨.
Since then, the phenomenon has grown year after year 📈. Nowadays, during late September and throughout October 🍂, dozens of Spanish towns — especially along the Costa del Sol and Campo de Gibraltar, areas with a strong presence of Northern European residents and tourists — hold their own version of Oktoberfest: litre beer mugs 🍺, German sausages 🌭, sauerkraut 🥬, pretzels 🥨, live music 🎸 and, of course, imported beer 🍻.
The combination of good autumn weather ☀️, a very active social life in towns such as Marbella, Algeciras or Gibraltar 🎊, and the large community of German, Swiss and Austrian expats in the area, has made Oktoberfest fit perfectly into the Costa del Sol and Strait of Gibraltar events calendar 📅.
It's not an exact replica of Munich, but it keeps the spirit alive: long shared tables 🪑, a festive atmosphere 🎉 and a selection of beers and typical Bavarian dishes 🍺🥨.
Sotogrande doesn't hold its own Oktoberfest 🚫🍺 at the moment, but it's very well placed compared to several nearby celebrations, and it also has its own local alternative 👇:
🍻 Guadiaro (San Roque) – Wadifest
Usually held in November 🍂🗓️, rather than September/October. It's not an Oktoberfest under that name, but it serves the same purpose for local residents: beer 🍺, a festive atmosphere 🎶 and community spirit 🤝. We recommend checking local posters and San Roque Town Hall's social media 📲 to confirm this year's exact date once it's announced.