Oktoberfest beer festival returns to Munich after pandemic drought

Young people reach out for free beer in one of the beer tents on the opening day of the 187th Oktoberfest festival. Photo / Michael Probst, AP

The beer is flowing at Munich's world-famous Oktoberfest for the first time since 2019.

With three knocks of a hammer and 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 festivities after a two-year break forced by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Oktoberfest has typically drawn about 6 million visitors every year to packed festival grounds in Bavaria's capital. The event did not take place in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with the unpredictable development of Covid-19 infections and restrictions.

Those worries were put aside this year. The city announced in late April that Oktoberfest would go ahead, and Reiter said Saturday that "it was a good decision."

"I'm glad that we can finally celebrate together," Bavarian governor Markus Soeder said at the opening ceremony. "There are many who say, 'Can we, can we not? Is it appropriate now?' I just want to say one thing: We have two or three difficult years behind us, no one knows exactly what this winter will be like, and we need joie de vivre and strength."

A waiter carries beer in one of the beer tents on the opening day of the 187th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich. Photo / Michael Probst, AP

Three hours before Reiter tapped the first keg, revellers rushed to secure seats in the huge beer tents as the gates to the festival opened.

They will need significantly deeper pockets than at the last Oktoberfest, with brewers and visitors facing pressure from inflation.

A 1-litre mug of beer costs between 12.60 and 13.80 euros ($20.77-$22.75) this year, which is an increase of about 15% compared with 2019, according to the festival's official homepage.

This year's Oktoberfest, the 187th edition of the event, runs through 3 October.

People run onto the festival ground on the opening day of the 187th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany. Photo / Michael Probst, AP

Soeder told the daily Muenchner Merkur newspaper in comments published earlier Saturday that the number of coronavirus infections would probably rise following the Oktoberfest but "at the same time, thankfully, we aren't measuring an undue strain on hospitals anywhere."

"That speaks for us being in new phase of corona," he said, adding that authorities would try to protect vulnerable people but not prevent celebrations.

- Associated Press