Oktoberfest is open. The world’s largest folk festival begins after
ceremonial keg-tapping
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[September 21, 2024]
By STEFANIE DAZIO
MUNICH (AP) — Oktoberfest is open.
Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started Oktoberfest at noon Saturday when
he inserted the tap into the first beer keg, signaling the 189th start
of the festival. Thousands of beer lovers celebrated in the Munich
fairground as the first to clink their mugs during the world’s largest
folk festival.
Servers immediately began ferrying trays — each carrying up to 8 glass
mugs — to tables. Revelers started clinking their mugs and taking deep
gulps of beer in the stuffy heat of the tent.
The celebration runs through Oct. 6 in 18 large tents covering the
Theresienwiese fairground.
This year’s festival includes stepped-up security in the wake of a
deadly knife attack in Solingen, a city roughly 470 kilometers (292
miles) northwest of Munich. The violence on Aug. 23 left three people
dead and eight more wounded, and the Islamic State group claimed
responsibility for the attack, without citing evidence. As a result,
organizers added metal detectors to the security lineup for the first
time in Oktoberfest’s history, but said there were no concrete threats.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets early Saturday to watch
the opening parade as others raced to claim tables inside the tents.
They gossiped, played cards and walked around the fairgrounds to check
out the food options and amusement park rides to kill time before they
could start drinking.
Revelers sprinted through the fairgrounds at 9 a.m. as soon as the
entrances opened, despite security officers’ attempts to keep the
procession orderly. They laughed despite the morning chill — someone
could be heard shrieking “why are we running!” — and raced to get in
line again, but this time to be first inside the tents.
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A visitor in traditional Bavarian clothes and a moustache is seen at
the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich,
Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Some 6 million visitors are expected
over the festival's 16 days — up to 600,000 each day — and can
expect to shell out between 13.60 and 15.30 euros ($15.12 to $17.01)
for a 1-liter mug of beer (33 fl oz). This year's prices are roughly
3.87% more than in 2023.
Mikael Caselitz, 24, was born and raised in Munich and has attended
Oktoberfest for years. He said everyone should travel to Munich for
the festival at least once in their lives.
“It can get really crowded and disgusting when people puke on the
side of the road,” he joked, “but overall it’s a really fun
experience.”
Ollie Standen woke up at 6 a.m. to get in line early for
Oktoberfest, where the beer starts flowing at noon. The 21-year-old
from England is in Munich this year for a university exchange
program and a local friend told him he had to join the festivities.
He said he’s looking forward to trying different German beers that
aren’t usually found in the United Kingdom.
“It’s a great German tradition and I’m excited to be here,” he said.
The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with
COVID-19, but returned in 2022.
The first Oktoberfest was held Oct. 17, 1810 to celebrate the
marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Theresa of Saxony. The
venue, a meadow on the edge of Munich at the time, was called
“Theresienwiese” to honor the bride. While that name remains, the
start date has moved up to September, when the temperatures in
Bavaria are usually warmer.
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