Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter officially opened Oktoberfest on Saturday afternoon by inserting the tap into a first keg of beer, marking the 189th start of the festival. Thousands of beer lovers partied at the Munich fairgrounds as they were the first to raise a glass at the world’s largest folk festival.
Servers immediately began carrying trays—each containing up to eight mugs of the hoppy beverage—to the tables. Revelers began to clink glasses and take large gulps in the sweltering heat of the tents.
The celebration will last until October 6 in 18 large tents covering the Theresienwiese fairground.
This year, the festival has tight security following a deadly knife attack in Solingen, a city about 470 kilometers northwest of Munich. The violence on August 23 left three people dead and eight injured. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. Organizers added metal detectors at the entrance to the festival for the first time in its history. However, they stressed that there had been no concrete threats.
Tens of thousands of celebrants lined the streets early Saturday to watch the opening parade, while others rushed to grab tables inside the tents. They chatted, played cards and wandered around the festival grounds to check out the array of restaurants and rides available on the grounds to kill time before they could start drinking.
The party-goers made their way through the park at 9am as soon as the entrances opened, despite attempts by security guards to keep the procession in order, to be served first. The mood was festive among the festival-goers despite the morning chill – one could be heard shouting “why are we running!” – and they rushed to queue again at the entrance to the tents.
Around 6 million visitors are expected during the 16 days of the festival, or up to 600,000 per day. They can expect to pay between 13.60 and 15.30 euros for a one-litre pint. This year, prices are around 3.87% higher than in 2023.
A great German tradition
Mikael Caselitz, 24, was born in Munich and has been attending Oktoberfest for years. He said everyone should visit Munich for the festival at least once in their life.
“It can get really crowded and it’s disgusting when people throw up on the side of the road,” he joked, “but overall it’s a really fun experience.”
Ollie Standen woke up at 6am to queue for Oktoberfest, where the beer starts flowing at noon. The 21-year-old Englishman is in Munich this year as part of a university exchange programme and a friend in Munich told him he should join in the festivities. He said he was looking forward to trying different German beers that aren’t usually found in the UK.
“It’s a great German tradition and I’m delighted to be here,” he added.
The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to measures against the spread of COVID-19, but resumed in 2022.
The first Oktoberfest was held on October 17, 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Therese of Saxony. The venue, a meadow on the outskirts of Munich at the time, was named Theresienwiese in honor of the bride. Although the name stuck, the start date was moved forward to September, when temperatures in Bavaria are generally warmer.