Söder attracts attention with outfit – First injured in ambulance

The Oktoberfest has begun. Mayor Dieter Reiter has tapped the first keg. The Wiesn start in the ticker.

13.40: At this point we end the tapping ticker and wish everyone a peaceful Oktoberfest from the editorial team! Our reporters and authors will report from and about the Oktoberfest until the last fair – all news here.

12.00 noon: “O’zapft is!” – Dieter Reiter tapped the first barrel with two hits. He needed just as much in 2023.

Markus Söder falls with Outfit on

Meanwhile, Markus Söder is attracting attention with his outfit. He is still wearing his beard, which is something that people are divided about. “It’s probably not a summer beard after all,” says the BR presenter. And the presenter, who is also leading the tapping ceremony in the tent, praises Söder’s style and his choice of trousers. They are – probably for the first time – short leather trousers. Söder himself says, not surprisingly: “If you have the choice: Berlin or the Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is simply better.” Whether he really had a choice is, of course, debatable.

11.50 am: Ten minutes left until the tapping. The excitement is showing, as is the thirst.

Oktoberfest live: die Hosts move in, the Tension rises

11.35 am: The Wiesn hosts move in, together with the showmen and politicians, led by the Munich child, Franziska Inselkammer. There is still just under half an hour until the tapping of the first keg. The visitors in the festival tents only have to wait a few minutes before they can hold the first beer in their hands.

Oktoberfest storm on the Oktoberfest: Schottenhamel-Festhalle after a few minutes full

10.33 am: The tents are full, now everyone is waiting for the tapping. This takes place at 12 noon in the Schottenhamel. Dieter Reiter taps the first keg. The Prime Minister gets the first sip. This officially opens the Oktoberfest.

09.32 am: The storm on the tents is over as quickly as it began. And the tents are already full! “Nothing is happening anymore,” says a Wiesn visitor as she resignedly leaves the Schottenhamel festival hall, where Dieter Reiter later taps the first Oktoberfest keg. Meanwhile, there is already a lot going on at the Wiesn ambulance. One person has a bruised knee from the storm on the tents, another is already wearing an arm sling.

The storm on the Oktoberfest begins: Photos show running visitors

09.16 am: The first pictures of the Wiesn 2024:

09.00 am: The festival grounds of the 189th Oktoberfest are open. The storm begins.

08.53 am: Seven minutes left until the gates open. An American family has been standing in line since 3 a.m. and has managed to get first place. It’s their first Oktoberfest. Crazy.

Update, 07:55: The queues in front of the entrances are getting longer. There should be over 1000 people at all the entrances together.

Munich, 07.04 am – In cool 9 degrees, hardcore Oktoberfest fans have been queuing in front of the security checkpoints since 5:30 a.m. The 189th Oktoberfest opens its gates at 9 a.m. Then everyone rushes to the tents to get the best seats. Long-serving Munich residents and tourists from all over Germany are queuing up.

Funny side note: There is no beer in the tents for now. The beer mugs will only be filled at around 12 o’clock, when Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter taps the beer. Until then, there will be non-alcoholic drinks.

Oktoberfest 2024 in Munich – opening times

Am Start date Open the tents at 9 a.m., non-alcoholic drinks (except beer) will be available from 10 a.m., and beer will be served at 12 noon with the tapping of the first keg.

Monday to Friday Open the tents at 10am and close at 11.30pm.

Saturdays, Sundays and public holiday, 3.10., The bar starts serving at 9 a.m. and the curfew is at 11.30 p.m.

In the large festival halls The last beer and the last music are at 10.30pm.

In the small tents At chicken roasters, snack bars and café tents, serving drinks and music ends at 11 p.m.

Our reporters Tanja Kipke, Yasina Hipp and Nora Kraft are on site, covering the Wiesn storm and the first hours of this 189th Wiesn. Here you can read the most important news about the tapping live.

Dieter Reiter takes the lead: It is his ninth appearance

Speaking of tapping: Would you like a little tent small talk help? In 2019, Reiter needed two hits. Then, for the first time since the Second World War, the Oktoberfest had to take a two-year break (!) due to the corona pandemic. At the new edition in 2022, Reiter needed three hits, and in 2023 it was only two again. But basically the man is an experienced tapper. Reiter has been in office since 2014. Today is his ninth appearance in this role.