MUNICH, Germany — Oktoberfest,
Germany’s
famed beer festival which draws millions of visitors from around the world,
opened Saturday in Munich after a two-year pause due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
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In its 200-year history, the world’s biggest folk
festival has been canceled just 26 times, mostly due to World Wars I and II but
also twice due to cholera outbreaks.
The last time the festival was held in 2019, the 6.3
million guests drank more than 7.3 million liters of German beer.
Munich mayor Didier Reiter kicked off the ceremony
by opening a beer keg with a hammer blow and offering the first tankard to the
head of the regional government Markus Soeder.
The festival will run until October 3 with no
restrictions and no face masks will be necessary.
Oktoberfest generates about 1.2 billion euros in
income. Beer occupies cult status in Germany and especially in Bavaria, where
Munich is located.
Germans are among
Europe’s heaviest beer drinkers
with an annual average consumption of 84 liters in 2021.
On Friday, the
German Brewers’ Federation DBB told the government of the numerous challenges
it was facing due to the war in Ukraine, including skyrocketing energy prices
and disruptions in the supply chain.
“The government must react. ... Without speedy state
intervention and aid, hundreds of enterprises in the German beverages sector
will disappear and thousands will become jobless.”
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