The German beer festival Oktoberfest, which was canceled for two years in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic, opened on September 17 in Munich. DPA reports.
The festival will run until October 3rd. There are no anti-covid restrictions.
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The head of Bavaria, where the festival takes place, Markus Söder announced a possible increase in the number of coronavirus infections during the holiday, but he does not expect an excessive burden on hospitals.
“The incidence is likely to increase, this is the experience of past festivals. However, hospitals are not overcrowded anywhere now. This suggests that we are now in a different phase of the pandemic,” said Zeder.
In turn, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach urged festival guests to be careful.
“I don’t want to spoil everyone’s mood, but when visiting Oktoberfest, you need to be careful. I do not advise people with chronic diseases to go there,” he stressed.
In August, it was reported that beer at Oktoberfest would rise in price by 16%. As festival director Clemens Baumgertner specified at the time, a liter mug of beer would cost an average of €13.
In 2019, when the festival was last held, a liter of alcoholic drink cost €11.9.
Before the pandemic, the festival was attended by 6 million people annually. According to statistics, guests spend more than €1 billion on its days. This amount consists of proceeds from the sale of beer, snacks and souvenirs, income from hotels and fees to taxi drivers. The first beer festival took place on October 12, 1810, on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Teresa.
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