Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter gave the in the Bavarian capital its traditional launch on Saturday, opening a barrel of beer and marking it with the time-honored phrase “O’zapft is!” (Bavarian for “It is tapped”).
Reiter then handed the first mug to Bavarian Premier with a wish for a peaceful festival, with the day’s sunny late summer weather auguring well for its success.
Germany’s biggest tourist event
The event held on the Theresienwiese fairground in central Munich is known as the world’s largest beer and folk festival.
Belying its name, Oktoberfest always begins in September, running this year from September 20 bis October 5.
As the country’s major tourist event, the annual festival, now in its 190th edition, is expected to attract at least 6 million visitors, with a record of 7.2 million set in 2023.
The amount of beer drunk at the festival is commensurate with visitor numbers, with revelers downing 7.4 million liters (1.95 million gallons) of the amber-hued, yeast-based beverage in the same year.
However, some might be in for a shock at what they now have to pay for a mug, with prices reaching record levels this year.
In addition to consuming beer in any of the numerous tents erected for that purpose, visitors can go on amusement rides, participate in games and enjoy traditional Bavarian dishes or other comestibles from the food stalls.
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