Germany's popular Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival, kicked off on Saturday in the Bavarian capital Munich, expecting to host at least 6 million visitors from around the world.

Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter officially launched the anticipated festival at noon, by breaking open the first barrel with the traditional call "Ozapft."

He then handed the first tankard to Bavarian Premier Markus Soder.

This year's festival is scheduled to last two days more than usual, with high hopes for resuming the days of glory with the pandemic behind.

The festival is due to wrap on October 3, when Germany celebrates reunification.

Munich's Theresienwiese park is usually the epicenter of the festival, attracting visitors, historic carousels and traditional brass band music.

Authorities are dispatching some 600 police officers, around 450 paramedics, 55 doctors and 2,000 stewards to be on standby in case of need.

This year, however, the inflation crunch is expected to leave its mark on the festival, impacting the cost of beer.

A liter of beer will cost between €12.60 (around $13.45) and €14.90, with roughly a 6.1% increase compared to last year.

rmt/mm (AFP, dpa)