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All year long, international beer aficionados wait for the world’s biggest outdoor festival and their chance to party with millions of others at Munich, Germany’s annual Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest has become one of the world’s biggest gatherings, attracting 6.2 million attendees in 2007 full of fun activities and depleting almost 7 million liters of beer.

Partying with more than 6 million people might be a bit more than laid-back San Diegans can handle, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a party of their own.

Throughout the month of October, San Diego is booming with a sundry of local Oktoberfests in cities such as El Cajon, La Mesa, Julian, Carlsbad, Ramona, Encinitas and Ocean Beach. Each city hosts a Saturday or Sunday where blocked-off streets burst alive with stages of live music, Bavarian beer gardens, games and of course, succulent sausages, bratwursts, and the traditional, yummy favorites of an authentic German Oktoberfest.

This boisterous, fun-loving festival began in Munich in 1810 to honor one of the country’s royal marriages, but it quickly caught on as an annual affair.

According to beeradvocate.com, starting in mid-September and ending with a great agricultural show in early October, the 16-day celebration was Germany’s yearly chance to enjoy the balmy, cool temperatures of the fresh fall weather. Thousands of German citizens with women in dirndl dresses and men in lederhosen congregated to enjoy the delicious, crisp tastes of numerous German-made beers. While basking in the sunshine, festivalgoers were able to leave their work behind and take pleasure in games, music, food and friends, which caused them to work up quite a thirst.

Almost 200 years later, Oktoberfest has become the world’s largest beer festival, popping up all over the international scene and bringing together enormous amounts of beer connoisseurs each year.

Here in San Diego, cold brews can be sipped with the warm sun and cool ocean breezes. The glistening waters of Ocean Beach and Carlsbad, and the mountainous ambiance of Julian and Ramona transform San Diego’s Oktoberfest into a one-day-getaway that appeals to a wide variety of people.

For many, the pleasure of Oktoberfest lies in the immense amount of German beer varieties that come together just once a year. Germany is known for more than 1,000 breweries each with its own distinct taste and signature. Light beers, such as Berliner Weisse, a refreshing wheat beer brewed in Berlin and often drank with a side of fruit to bring out hidden accents, neighbor thick, dark frothy favorites such as Weizenbock, Dunkel Weizen and Rauchbier.

Nothing pairs better with a cold, tasty brew like authentic German Wies’n Hendl, tender and flavorsome chicken, Wurst sausages that pop with every bite and Brez’n, large, soft pretzels steaming with salty goodness.

While Oktoberfest may not be ideal for vegetarians, San Diego’s festivities

make it a point to provide an alternative menu for the health conscious and include loads of fresh fruit, vegetables and sauerkraut 8212; melt-in-your-mouth cabbage.

Complimenting a sunny day of drinking and eating are the wild games and activities varying city to city. In Ocean Beach, a Sausage Toss, sausage-eating competition and 5k Brat Trot a 5k run gave visitors their chance at more than $10,000 in cash and prizes.

Only once a year can San Diegans let down their hair and come together to a share a weekend full of laughter, cheer and unity. Oktoberfest attendees reminisce over the friendships made, the perfect Kodak moments captured and the memories collected that the annual event brings.

Dust off those dirndl dresses and lederhosen and let the good times roll at anOktoberfest.