Oktoberfest in Palestine

Oktoberfest in Palestine

It has all the trappings of Oktoberfest – liters upon liters of beer, singing, dancing, and the occasional pair of lederhosen. The difference is that this beer festival doesn’t take place in Bavaria but in Palestine, in the midst of a relatively conservative Muslim society. The masterminds behind the festival is the Khoury family. In 1994, after the signing of the Oslo Accords, they opened Taybeh Brewery in Taybeh, a small village of 1500 inhabitants located a short drive from Ramallah. based in the only remaining Christian village in Palestine, it was the first microbrewery in the Middle East. Taybeh’s Oktoberfest is the only such festival in the whole region. The celebration is modeled after the original in Munich, but with a local flavor. Alongside sampling a number of the brewery’s varieties, visitors can snack on falafel and baklava, or buy produce from the community’s farmers, such as the famed Palestinian olive oil, local za’atar and honey. Popular Palestinian acts entertain a lively crowd of locals, tourists, foreigners working in the area and Israeli Arabs. The cancellation of last year’s Oktoberfest following the war in Gaza is a reminder that not is all as pleasant as it seems in this bucolic setting. The brewery’s owners have complained of water shortages since the construction of a settlement nearby, and of high customs costs to get their product to Israeli ports. While Taybeh is only 40 kilometers from Jerusalem, where tensions have been rising in recent months, Oktoberfest presents a good opportunity to have a glass of beer and forget about the conflict, at least for now.

by contributor Anna Loshkin

It has all the trappings of Oktoberfest – liters upon liters of beer, singing, dancing, and the occasional pair of lederhosen. The difference is that this beer festival doesn’t take place in Bavaria but in Palestine, in the midst of a relatively conservative Muslim society. The masterminds behind the festival is the Khoury family. In 1994, after the signing of the Oslo Accords, they opened Taybeh Brewery in Taybeh, a small village of 1500 inhabitants located a short drive from Ramallah. based in the only remaining Christian village in Palestine, it was the first microbrewery in the Middle East. Taybeh’s Oktoberfest is the only such festival in the whole region. The celebration is modeled after the original in Munich, but with a local flavor. Alongside sampling a number of the brewery’s varieties, visitors can snack on falafel and baklava, or buy produce from the community’s farmers, such as the famed Palestinian olive oil, local za’atar and honey. Popular Palestinian acts entertain a lively crowd of locals, tourists, foreigners working in the area and Israeli Arabs. The cancellation of last year’s Oktoberfest following the war in Gaza is a reminder that not is all as pleasant as it seems in this bucolic setting. The brewery’s owners have complained of water shortages since the construction of a settlement nearby, and of high customs costs to get their product to Israeli ports. While Taybeh is only 40 kilometers from Jerusalem, where tensions have been rising in recent months, Oktoberfest presents a good opportunity to have a glass of beer and forget about the conflict, at least for now.

A family poses in front of a poster announcing Taybeh's Oktoberfest. Fans of the Palestinian rap group DAM dance and sing along to their songs. Visitors escape the afternoon heat inside the brewery building. The map on the tank details all commercial crossings to Israel from the West Bank. Two young Palestinian women visiting the festival drink beer and socialize. Women participate in a contest to see who can hold the beer mug the longest without spilling beer or bending their arms. Palestinian men dance dabke, an Arab folk dance. Oktoberfest visitors stroll around the brewery grounds in Taybeh, a small Palestinian Christian village of 1500. A Jewish settlement is visible in the background. Canaan Khoury, the son of Taybeh Brewery's owner, sells drink tickets to Oktoberfest visitors. Palestinian women from the Taybeh Women's Benevolent Society talk to Oktoberfest visitors who are interested in buying their herbs or handicrafts. An elderly Palestinian man in a jalabiya, a traditional Arab garment, walks around the grounds of Tabyeh Brewery. Children and adults look out from under a tarp set up to protect Oktoberfest visitors from the sun. A Palestinian woman takes a snapshot of her daugher behind a cutout of a barmaid serving beer. Madees Khoury, daughter of Taybeh Brewery's owner, sets beer mugs in front of participants in a contest. Khoury is the only female Palestinian brewer. Two participants struggle to hold up their beer mugs. The winner is the one who can hold the beer mug the longest without spilling beer or bending her arm. A group of men dances an Arab folk dance to the music of a band at the festival. Oktoberfest visitors look out into the West Bank from the roof of the Taybeh Brewery. A group of men dances an Arab folk dance to the music of a band at the festival. Visitors to Taybeh's Oktoberfest wait in line to enter the brewery's grounds. The Palestinian rap group DAM shares the stage with fellow musician Maisa Daw. A family walks to their car after visiting Taybeh's Oktoberfest.