Oktoberfest is called so because the original festival started in October. The first Oktoberfest took place on October 12, 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The festivities ended on October 17 with a grand horse race held in a meadow outside Munich, which was later named "Theresienwiese" (Therese's Meadow) after the bride. The name "Oktoberfest" reflects this initial timing of the festival in October. However, over time, the event was moved earlier to late September to take advantage of better weather conditions, though the name Oktoberfest remained. The festival site, "Theresienwiese," is often colloquially called "Wiesn" by locals, which means "meadow" in Bavarian dialect, and visiting "the Wiesn" means attending Oktoberfest in Munich.