Oktoberfest 2024 officially kicked off in Munich as Mayor Dieter Reiter inserted the tap into the first beer keg on Saturday. This marked the 189th start of the festival, with thousands of beer lovers celebrating in the Munich fairground. Participants clinked their mugs during the world’s largest folk festival, indicating the start of the festivities. Servers began carrying trays of up to 8 glass mugs to tables, where revelers enjoyed their first sips of beer in the stuffy heat of the tent. The celebration is set to run through October 6 in 18 large tents covering the Theresienwiese fairground.
This year’s Oktoberfest features increased security measures following a deadly knife attack in Solingen, with organizers adding metal detectors for the first time in the festival’s history. Despite no concrete threats, the added security aims to ensure the safety of attendees throughout the event. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to watch the opening parade and raced to claim tables inside the tents. The fairgrounds offered food options, amusement park rides, and entertainment for attendees to explore while waiting to indulge in beer. Revelers eagerly sprinted through the fairgrounds at 9 a.m., showcasing their excitement as they made their way to the tents.
Up to 6 million visitors are expected to attend Oktoberfest over the 16-day festival period, with crowds of up to 600,000 daily. The cost of a 1-liter mug of beer ranges between 13.60 and 15.30 euros, a slight increase from the previous year. Mikael Caselitz, a Munich native, emphasized the unique experience of attending Oktoberfest despite the occasional inconveniences, highlighting the festival’s fun atmosphere. Foreign visitors, such as Ollie Standen from England, expressed their enthusiasm for the German tradition and the opportunity to sample different beers not typically found in their home countries.
The event returned in 2022 after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The origins of Oktoberfest date back to 1810 when the first festival was held to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Theresa of Saxony. The festival, initially held on a meadow referred to as Theresienwiese, has since evolved to its current form with a shifted start date in September to take advantage of warmer temperatures in Bavaria. Oktoberfest remains a significant cultural event that attracts people from around the world to Munich for a memorable experience filled with beer, food, and festivities.
