Munich’s Oktoberfest opened on September 19, with Mayor Dominik Krause driving the tap into the first keg in two strokes and declaring “O’zapft is,” the Bavarian phrase meaning “it’s been tapped.” The mayor’s tapping is an annual ritual, and a low number of strokes is treated as a good omen for the days ahead, so a clean two-blow start was read as a strong beginning. The moment signalled the start of pouring across the fairground and marked the official opening of what organisers describe as the world’s largest folk festival.
Organisers expect the 16-day celebration to draw around six million visitors before it closes on October 4. Most attendees come from Munich and the wider Bavarian region, though the festival also pulls in guests from around the world. Alongside the beer tents, the programme features brass bands, fairground rides and communal singing, with many visitors arriving in traditional dress of dirndls and lederhosen. The gathering remains one of the fixed points of the Bavarian calendar.
Security was tighter than in previous years, following earlier concerns about overcrowding on the grounds. Authorities installed AI-powered cameras designed to detect large crowds early, and deployed roughly 600 police officers supported by Bavarian riot police, plainclothes officers specialising in pickpocketing and teams drawn from eight nations. Entry screening was in place, and prohibited items included knives, drones, large bags and cannabis. The presence of officers from several countries reflected the festival’s international reach.
The food remains as central to the event as the beer. Tents and stalls serve Bavarian staples such as pretzels, roast pork and sausages, and long communal tables encourage visitors to eat, drink and sing together. The atmosphere blends regional tradition with the scale of a major international gathering, and the crowds move between the tents, food stalls and rides across the fairground through the afternoon and into the evening.
For Munich, the festival is a significant draw for tourism and hospitality, filling hotels, restaurants and public transport across the Bavarian capital during its two-week run. Organisers said they would continue to monitor crowd levels through the new camera system as attendance builds over the coming days. Oktoberfest continues until October 4, when the final kegs are tapped and the tents close for another year.
