٠٠:٠٤:٤٨Bavarian Premier Markus Soder and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter officially opened the iconic Oktoberfest on Saturday. Mayor Reiter tapped the first barrel with two strokes, signalling the start of the 189th festival.
Footage captures the lively opening ceremony as locals and visitors pour through the festival gates into the bustling venues, all under a heightened police presence due to recent attacks in Germany. The highlight was the mayor cracking open the inaugural keg.
"Joy and peace, those are the most important things,” the Bavarian premier stated, “we have done everything we can to ensure that the security authorities, the city and the country, can celebrate happily.”
Soder urged everyone to “enjoy the freedom to celebrate here. From now on, Munich is the capital of the world. Germany of course, and we are looking forward to it."
"I went there very early myself and there were already very long queues,” Reiter said. “I don't know if that was unusual or because of the controls. I saw a picture at 7:10 and the queues were quite long above the Theresienwiese." Munich Mayor added.
Both locals and tourists—both domestic and international—commented on the new security measures, noting that these precautions had not hindered their enjoyment of the festival.
"it is my first time, and it is something that happens once in a while and I'm really looking forward to it ( Ich freue mich hart darauf)," a Japanese visitor said.
“I think it's good that people are so safety conscious here. I have every respect for the security guards and the security, thank you very much.” A local man aded.
This year's Oktoberfest comes weeks after a knife attack in Solingen which has left three people killed and eight injured on August 23. Authorities confirmed a Syrian asylum seeker had been charged with the attack killing three and injuring five others at the event.
Oktoberfest has been a staple of German culture since 1810 and was created by Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to thank his wife, Therese, for her support after their marriage.
Oktoberfest attracts millions of people each year, making it one of the largest Volksfests (people's festivals) in the world.
The Oktoberfest festival will take place from September 21 to October 6.
'Joy and peace' – Bavarian premier, Munich mayor launch 189th Oktoberfest amid tightened security measures
Bavarian Premier Markus Soder and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter officially opened the iconic Oktoberfest on Saturday. Mayor Reiter tapped the first barrel with two strokes, signalling the start of the 189th festival.
Footage captures the lively opening ceremony as locals and visitors pour through the festival gates into the bustling venues, all under a heightened police presence due to recent attacks in Germany. The highlight was the mayor cracking open the inaugural keg.
"Joy and peace, those are the most important things,” the Bavarian premier stated, “we have done everything we can to ensure that the security authorities, the city and the country, can celebrate happily.”
Soder urged everyone to “enjoy the freedom to celebrate here. From now on, Munich is the capital of the world. Germany of course, and we are looking forward to it."
"I went there very early myself and there were already very long queues,” Reiter said. “I don't know if that was unusual or because of the controls. I saw a picture at 7:10 and the queues were quite long above the Theresienwiese." Munich Mayor added.
Both locals and tourists—both domestic and international—commented on the new security measures, noting that these precautions had not hindered their enjoyment of the festival.
"it is my first time, and it is something that happens once in a while and I'm really looking forward to it ( Ich freue mich hart darauf)," a Japanese visitor said.
“I think it's good that people are so safety conscious here. I have every respect for the security guards and the security, thank you very much.” A local man aded.
This year's Oktoberfest comes weeks after a knife attack in Solingen which has left three people killed and eight injured on August 23. Authorities confirmed a Syrian asylum seeker had been charged with the attack killing three and injuring five others at the event.
Oktoberfest has been a staple of German culture since 1810 and was created by Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to thank his wife, Therese, for her support after their marriage.
Oktoberfest attracts millions of people each year, making it one of the largest Volksfests (people's festivals) in the world.
The Oktoberfest festival will take place from September 21 to October 6.
Bavarian Premier Markus Soder and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter officially opened the iconic Oktoberfest on Saturday. Mayor Reiter tapped the first barrel with two strokes, signalling the start of the 189th festival.
Footage captures the lively opening ceremony as locals and visitors pour through the festival gates into the bustling venues, all under a heightened police presence due to recent attacks in Germany. The highlight was the mayor cracking open the inaugural keg.
"Joy and peace, those are the most important things,” the Bavarian premier stated, “we have done everything we can to ensure that the security authorities, the city and the country, can celebrate happily.”
Soder urged everyone to “enjoy the freedom to celebrate here. From now on, Munich is the capital of the world. Germany of course, and we are looking forward to it."
"I went there very early myself and there were already very long queues,” Reiter said. “I don't know if that was unusual or because of the controls. I saw a picture at 7:10 and the queues were quite long above the Theresienwiese." Munich Mayor added.
Both locals and tourists—both domestic and international—commented on the new security measures, noting that these precautions had not hindered their enjoyment of the festival.
"it is my first time, and it is something that happens once in a while and I'm really looking forward to it ( Ich freue mich hart darauf)," a Japanese visitor said.
“I think it's good that people are so safety conscious here. I have every respect for the security guards and the security, thank you very much.” A local man aded.
This year's Oktoberfest comes weeks after a knife attack in Solingen which has left three people killed and eight injured on August 23. Authorities confirmed a Syrian asylum seeker had been charged with the attack killing three and injuring five others at the event.
Oktoberfest has been a staple of German culture since 1810 and was created by Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to thank his wife, Therese, for her support after their marriage.
Oktoberfest attracts millions of people each year, making it one of the largest Volksfests (people's festivals) in the world.
The Oktoberfest festival will take place from September 21 to October 6.