MUNICH (AP) — Thousands of beer lovers lined up early Saturday to be among the first to clink their mugs in an Oktoberfest tent as they waited for the world's largest folk festival to begin for the 189th time.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will officially open Oktoberfest at noon when he inserts the tap into the first keg. The celebration runs through Oct. 6 in 18 large tents covering the Theresienwiese fairground.
This year's festival includes in the wake of a , a city roughly 470 kilometers (292 miles) northwest of Munich. The violence on Aug. 23 left three people dead and eight more wounded, and 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.
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.â€
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 , 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.
