The first keg has been tapped and the beer is flowing as the 185th Oktoberfest gets under way in Munich.
Mayor Dieter Reiter inserted the tap in the first keg on Saturday with two blows of a hammer and the cry of “O’zapt is” – “it’s tapped”.
As tradition demands, he handed the first mug to Bavarian governor Markus Soder, who declared that “the Oktoberfest is perhaps Bavaria’s biggest and best visiting card in the world”.
People ran to enter the beer festival (Matthias Schrader/AP)
Around six million visitors are expected at the festival grounds in Munich before the Oktoberfest ends on October 7.
As in previous years, backpacks and large bags are banned for security reasons.
Beer prices are up again, with a one litre tankard costing up to 11.50 euros (£10.30) – a 55-cent (49p) increase over last year.
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