Germany: Oktoberfest beer starts flowing amid high security
September 21, 2024
Thousands lined up early on Saturday in Munich as they waited for the world's most famous beer festival to begin for the 189th time.
Visitors to the attractions faced extra security in the wake of a deadly knife attack in the city of Solingen in western Germany in August.
Although the venue opened at 9 a.m. local time, beer lovers faced a three-hour wait before Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter officially launched the two-week-long event by inserting a tap into the first keg.
He handed over the first liter of beer to the Bavarian state premier Markus Söder, from the conservative Christian Social Union party.
What's different about this year's festival?
The celebration lasts until October 6 and is held in 18 large tents across the Bavarian capital's Theresienwiese fairground. This year organizers have beefed up security, including installing metal detectors as part of the lineup for the first time in Oktoberfest's history.
In addition to 600 police officers, the city will deploy an additional 1,500 security personnel. They will help guide visitors quickly through security checkpoints.
The new measures come after the stabbing attack in Solingen on August 23 left three people dead and eight more wounded at a city festival, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for it.
Those stabbings came after a police officer in the city of Mannheim was killed in early June by an Afghan migrant.
It is understood that there have been no specific threats to the Oktoberfest.
What happens at the Oktoberfest?
About 6 million visitors are expected across the 16 days of the festival, as many as 600,000 each day.
They can expect to pay relatively hefty prices for a liter (33 fl oz) of beer, between €13.60 and €15.30 ($15.12 to $17.01) — roughly 3.87% more than in 2023.
The event was put on hold in 2020 and 2021 as authorities dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned in 2022.
The first Oktoberfest opened on Oct. 17, 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Theresa of Saxony, who gave her name to the venue.
rc/ab (AP, dpa)