BERLIN (AP) — The world's largest beer festival opened Saturday in Germany as Munich's mayor tapped the first keg to kick off the 16-day Oktoberfest, known for its oompah music and traditional costumes.
With
only two blows of his hammer and a cry of "O'zapft is" — "It's Tapped" —
Mayor Christian Ude inserted the tap into the first keg, opening the
179th Oktoberfest to the cheering of thousands who were waiting to be
served their first beer.
More than 6 million guests from around the world are expected to descend on the beer tents of Munich to celebrate the 16-day Oktoberfest extravaganza.
Last
year's visitors consumed almost 8 million two-pint (one-liter) mugs of
beer. This year a mug, called "Mass" in German, of the malty pale beer
made exclusively by Munich's breweries sells at up to €9.50 ($12.30).
The
Oktoberfest started with a wedding party: Just over 200 years ago,
Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig celebrated his royal nuptials with a big
public bash that was such a hit it became an annual event. Nowadays, it
is now known worldwide for its towering mugs of beer, oompah music, men
wearing traditional Bavarian Lederhosen leather shorts and women in
bright costumes.
While the
core of the Oktoberfest remains the same, with Dirndl-clad waitresses
delivering steins, its flavor has evolved over the years. A local
festival with small beer gardens has mushroomed into a major
international event featuring about a dozen cavernous beer tents, some
seating about 10,000 singing, inebriated revelers at a time.
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