Oktoberfest opens as Munich's new mayor taps keg with two blows

The 191st Oktoberfest has opened in the southern German city of Munich, with more than 6 million visitors from around the world expected at the famous beer festival.

New Munich Mayor Dominik Krause of the Greens tapped the first beer keg with just two hammer blows at his first Oktoberfest opening on Saturday, before declaring "O'zapft is," a Bavarian phrase meaning "It is tapped."

Krause, 36, had previously said that "two to three" blows were his goal.

Following tradition, he handed the first litre of beer to Bavarian Premier Markus Söder of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), despite frequent political clashes between Söder and the Greens.

It was the first time Söder had received his opening Oktoberfest beer from a Green mayor. Krause has been in the job since May.

As cannon shots signalled the official start of the festival, Krause and Söder raised their glasses and toasted a peaceful Oktoberfest.

Tens of thousands of visitors who had been waiting in the beer tents since the morning were then able to order their first beers.

For 16 days until October 4, visitors can enjoy the festival's beer tents, fairground rides, traditional Bavarian food and live music, with many dressing in dirndls and lederhosen.

Sunny start to Oktoberfest

Visitors began streaming towards the festival grounds early on Saturday in mild, sunny weather, with many dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing.

Some had been waiting in the dark outside the fences surrounding the grounds since the early hours.

When the entrances opened shortly after 9 am, visitors rushed towards the beer tents to secure good seats. Security staff repeatedly slowed the crowds, allowing people onto the grounds in stages.

The festival, known locally as the Wiesn, is considered the largest beer festival in the world.

Beer prices approach €16

Oktoberfest beer is once again more expensive this year, with the standard one-litre size costing between €14.80 and €15.90 ($17 to $18.27).

The average price has risen by 2.38% from last year to €15.61.

Visitors looking to save money can turn to free drinking-water fountains located around the festival grounds.

While the price of Oktoberfest beer is a perennial subject of debate, Peter Inselkammer, a spokesman for the festival's publicans, said it remained relatively cheap by international standards. He pointed to a large Bavarian-style beer hall in Las Vegas, where a litre of beer costs $24.

Security tightened after overcrowding

Authorities have tightened security measures following dangerous overcrowding at last year's festival.

On the second Saturday of the 2025 Oktoberfest, a surge of visitors trying to enter and leave the grounds at the same time forced organizers to briefly close the site. Witnesses described scenes of "mass panic."

A new coordination centre will monitor visitor flows and allow authorities to intervene when necessary.

More than 50 AI-assisted cameras are intended to detect potentially dangerous crowding at an early stage. On particularly busy days, a crowdspotter will also monitor visitor flows and can make announcements to festival-goers if necessary.

Around 600 police officers and hundreds of security staff employed by the city and festival operators are on duty around the grounds.

Police said they were also well prepared following recent drone incidents, with support available from a new drone expertise and defence centre.

Visitors must pass through entry checks, while knives and other dangerous objects are prohibited. A knife-ban zone is also in force around the festival grounds.

Large bags are banned and cannabis use is prohibited.

Police have also said they will take tough action against upskirting, the practice of secretly filming or photographing underneath women's skirts.

Memorial to victims of 1980 attack

Krause also introduced a change to the traditional procession of festival hosts and breweries through central Munich to the Oktoberfest grounds.

For the first time, the mayor's carriage stopped briefly at the festival's main entrance to commemorate the victims of the far-right terrorist attack there in 1980.

Twelve Oktoberfest visitors were killed and around 200 people injured when a bomb exploded at the entrance on the evening of September 26, 1980.

The far-right perpetrator, Gundolf Köhler, was also killed.