Photos| It’s tapped: Beer flows as Oktoberfest opens in Munich
Updated On Sep 23, 2018 02:41 PM IST
Thousands of visitors, many of them dressed in traditional lederhosen or dirndl corseted dresses, descended on Munich on Saturday for the start of the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival. Munich's mayor, Dieter Reiter, kicked off the festivities by tapping open the first beer keg with a traditional shout of "O zapft is!" ("It's tapped" in English). Oktoberfest attracts around six million visitors every year, with some travelling from abroad for the experience. This year's festival runs from September 22 to October 7.
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Updated on Sep 23, 2018 02:41 PM IST
People celebrate with beers after the official opening of the 185th Oktoberfest, Munich's annual beer festival in Munich,Germany. (Christof Stache / AFP)
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Markus Soeder, governor of the German state of Bavaria, attends the tapping of the first barrel of beer by Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter as part of the opening of the fest. (Peter Kneffel / AP)
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Drummers attend a parade during the opening ceremony of the fest. Around 6 million visitors are expected at the festival grounds in Munich before the Oktoberfest ends on October 7. (Matthias Schrader / AP)
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First visitors arrive for the opening the world's largest beer festival. Revellers arrived early to secure spaces at the coveted long communal tables in tents, where visitors swig beer, munch on sausages, pretzel or pork knuckle, and listen to oompah bands. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand / DPA / AFP)
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A waitress carries mugs of beer during the opening day of the fest. Oktoberfest has its origins in a horse race that took place in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. (Michael Dalder / REUTERS)
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A visitor poses for a picture during the 185th Oktoberfest in Munich. (Andreas Gebert / REUTERS)
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Visitors celebrate as they drink beer during the Munich's annual beer festival. (Christof Stache / AFP)
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Visitors ride a roller coaster during the opening day of the fest.The public festivities on the Theresienwiese open ground - named after the bride - became more elaborate as time went on, with stalls and amusement rises and it gradually turned into a folk festival. (Michael Dalder / REUTERS)
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Updated on Sep 23, 2018 02:41 PM IST