Oktoberfest is almost open. Beer lovers are lining up in Munich ahead of the ceremonial keg-tapping

MUNICH — Thousands of beer lovers lined up early Saturday to be among the first to clink their mugs in an Oktoberfest tent as they waited for the world's largest folk festival to begin for the 189th time.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter will officially open Oktoberfest at noon when he inserts the tap into the first keg. The celebration runs through Oct. 6 in 18 large tents covering the Theresienwiese fairground.

This year's festival includes stepped-up security in the wake of a deadly knife attack in Solingen, a city roughly 470 kilometers northwest of Munich. The violence on Aug. 23 left three people dead and eight more wounded, and the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, without citing evidence. As a result, organizers added metal detectors to the security lineup for the first time in Oktoberfest's history, but said there were no concrete threats.

Some 6 million visitors are expected over the festival's 16 days — up to 600,000 each day — and can expect to shell out between 13.60 and 15.30 euros for a 1-liter mug of beer . This year's prices are roughly 3.87% more than in 2023.

The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with COVID-19, but returned in 2022.

The first Oktoberfest was held Oct. 17, 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Theresa of Saxony. The venue, a meadow on the edge of Munich at the time, was called “Theresienwiese” to honor the bride. While that name remains, the start date has moved up to September, when the temperatures in Bavaria are usually warmer.

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