Beer flows and crowds descend on Munich for the official start of Oktoberfest
Venice, Sep 14: A scowling gondoliere ferrying sightseers 10 at a time across the mouth of Venice’s Grand Canal Munich, Sep 16: The beer is flowing and millions of people descending on the Bavarian capital to celebrate the official opening of Oktoberfest.
With the traditional cry of “O’zapft is” –”It’s tapped” –Mayor Dieter Reiter inserted the tap in the first keg at noon on Saturday, officially opening the 18-day festivities.
Revelers decked out in traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses trooped to Munich’s festival grounds Saturday morning, filling the dozens of traditional tents in anticipation of getting their first 1-litre (2-pint) mug of beer.
Minutes before the first keg was tapped, to cheers from the crowd, Bavarian Gov. Markus Soeder asked festivalgoers if they were ready for Oktoberfest to begin.
“I can only say one thing: This is the most beautiful, biggest, most important festival in the world,” he said.
The Oktoberfest has typically drawn about 6 million visitors every year. The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with COVID-19, but returned in 2022. A 1-litre mug costs between 12.60 euros and 14.90 euros (USD 13.45 to 15.90) this year, an increase of around 6per cent from last year.
This year’s Oktoberfest, the 188th edition, runs through October 3.
In May, this year it was thought that Germany’s Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival hosted annually by Munich, would be canceled for the second consecutive year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Soeder and Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter announced at a press conference. At their meeting, the two politicians agreed to recommend that large festivals should be canceled or not held in Bavaria this season.
They explained the decision with the precariousness of the Covid-19 situation, the Xinhua news agency reported. Soeder said that the Oktoberfest’s reputation was also at stake. With countless restrictions in place, there would be a danger of “chaotic conditions.” Measures such as minimum distances and face masks were “practically not feasible” in classic beer tents at big festivals. (Agencies)
