Exactly at noon, Munich’s Lord Mayor Dominik Krauze drove the tap into the first barrel of freshly brewed beer with a hammer blow and said: “O'zapft is” (“It's tapped!”). It took him two blows to open the barrel — the same as the ceremony’s record; the worst result still belongs to Thomas Wimmer, who needed 19 blows in 1950.
Before the opening, a long line had already formed at the main entrance to the grounds at around 07:00, and some people spent the night nearby. The festival will run until October 4, and organizers expect several million visitors; in 2025, the festival counted 6.5 million attendees.
In addition to the fairground with rides and carousels, the festival’s main attraction is the large beer tents. Last year, 6.5 million liters of beer were consumed at Oktoberfest, and the average price of a one-liter mug this time will be €15.61.
Over the year, the price of a one-liter mug rose by 2.4%, which is below the overall inflation rate, estimated at about 3%. In 1985, the same mug, converted to euros, cost €3.2, meaning that in nominal terms the price has increased 4.9 times.
The first Oktoberfest took place on October 12, 1810, to mark the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. The celebration helped boost the worldwide popularity of the Bavarian breweries Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Spaten, and Münchner Hofbräu, and in Germany it is associated with beer tradition, folk festivities, and mass merrymaking.
Throughout its history, the festival has been canceled more than two dozen times because of wars, cholera epidemics, and the hyperinflation of the 1920s. Today it generates revenue from beer, snacks, and souvenirs, as well as for hotels and taxis.
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