The 18th International Oktoberfest in Wroclaw was held on 9 September in the grounds of the Wrocław Golf Club, attracting nearly 800 guests. This business networking event, the biggest in the Lower Silesian calendar, was organised by four chambers of commerce ? the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce, the German-Polish Chamber of Industry the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland and Commerce and the Scandinavian Polish Chamber of Commerce.

Held in accordance with sanitary regulations in the open air, on one of the most beautiful golf courses in Poland, less than 8km from the centre of Wrocław. The tradition of meeting up over beer in the capital of Lower Silesia is borrowed from the world-famous Bavarian beer festival, Oktoberfest, celebrated for centuries in Munich.

The objective of this major networking event is to bring together senior executives from the chambers? member companies, their clients, business partners and other companies associated with Lower Silesia. The event is also well attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local authorities, and regional opinion leaders.

As befits a traditional Oktoberfest, beer was central to the occasion, and no fewer than 14 breweries had their stalls, pouring hectolitres of beer for the guests, with many excellent regional craft breweries showcasing their best ales, lagers, stouts and porters in many varied styles. Accompanying the beers were traditional Central European foods ? not only the pork-based sort but also vegan and vegetarian alternatives.

The musical part of the evening was opened by a young and promising jazz group, The Swanlings. A surprise was the appearance on stage of the Silesian artist Andrea Rischka, who was met with huge applause from the audience. Lively music, in keeping with the character of the evening, was provided by the MM Systemy Orchestra from Opole, playing typical Bavarian beer-festival music. The event came to a close with an excellent performance from Gentlemen?s Jazz and the vocalist Tomasz Krajewski.