Customs in Bavaria: The Oktoberfest began in sunny weather

Ozapft is: The Munich Oktoberfest It has begun. Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) tapped the first barrel of beer with two shots on Saturday at exactly 12:00 noon in the Schottenhamel tent, thus opening the festival. Gunfire announced the start of the festival – and the beer serving. Reiter handed the first freshly tapped liter of beer to Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), in keeping with tradition, so that they could toast a peaceful meadow with him.

Weather: Sunny and dry

With autumnal mild temperatures and sunshine, the Wiesn hosts drove to the festival grounds in festively decorated carriages. The forecasts for the first Wiesn weekend look good – at least on Sunday it will stay around 20 degrees. After that it will get cooler again – and rain too.

Early in the morning, the first Oktoberfest fans – mostly in dirndls and lederhosen – were already waiting at the entrances for the festival grounds to open. When the gates opened at around 9 a.m., hundreds of people rushed towards the festival tents to get a good spot.

Around six million visitors are expected to attend the Oktoberfest, which is considered the largest folk festival in the world, by October 6. Last year, 7.2 million guests came to the festival, which was extended to 18 days – according to the count by the city of Munich, the organizer, this is the highest number since statistics began in 1980.

Increased security measures

The Oktoberfest started under tightened security measures. As a consequence of the presumably Islamist-motivated attacks in Solingen and Munich, controls at the entrances will be intensified for the festival days, including the use of hand-held metal detectors for the first time. Around 600 police officers will be on duty over the 16 days of the festival. There will also be thousands of stewards. 1,200 to 1,500 are deployed by the city alone.

Checks at the entrances and a high police presence have long been part of the sophisticated security concept, as has a ban on large bags, knives and glass bottles. There are also bans on flying drones over the site. Video cameras help to monitor the site.

Beer more expensive, drinking water free

Beer is once again becoming more expensive. The unit of measurement costs between 13.60 and 15.30 euros. Table water costs an average of over ten euros per liter. Since last year, there has been free drinking water at fountains on the festival grounds. The traditional Oide Wiesn takes place in the southern part of the Theresienwiese with brass music, folk dancing and historical rides.

Tragic accident

The construction of the festival was overshadowed by a fatal industrial accident. A 20-year-old worker was hit by a train during a test ride on the famous Olympia Looping roller coaster and died in hospital. The coaster was due to open on Saturday after the TÜV approval.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240921-930-239066/2