Oktoberfest returns after two-year hiatus

German – Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said earlier this year that Oktoberfest, which will run from September 17 to October 3, will take place without any Covid-19 related restrictions.

The annual Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival, kicked off on Saturday for the first time since 2019, marking the end of a two-year hiatus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of people wearing leather pants, typical of Bavarian culture, gathered for the event, which attracts around 6 million visitors to Munich every year, including tourists from all over the world.

Revelers sit at long communal tables to drink beer, eat sausages, pretzels, or pork knuckles and listen to Oompa bands.

Revelers poured into the halls at 9:00 a.m. local time to get the best seats for an epic beer festival that began with the mayor of Munich cracking open the first keg and announcing “o’zapft is” or “bottling” in the Bavarian dialect.

What do people do at Oktoberfest?

Thousands of people wear traditional Bavarian leather pants, called leather pants, at the event, which is usually attended by about 6 million people annually. Typical activities for visitors include eating sausages, a pretzel or pork knuckle, listening to bands, and of course, drinking beer.

The Oktoberfest is hundreds of years old, dating back to 1810, when the future King of Bavaria, Ludwig I, married. Since then, the festival has continued to take place in Munich in one form or another almost every year, with the exception of some interruptions, for example, in 1813 due to the Napoleonic Wars , as well as in 1914-1918 due to World War I and 1939-1945 due to World War II.