regional customs
Munich Oktoberfest opened after a two-year Corona break
Employees roll the beer keg into a marquee for the traditional keg tapping. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The time has come: longingly desired by many, viewed with skepticism by others – the Oktoberfest will be celebrated in Munich for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Munich Oktoberfest has opened. After two Wiesn were canceled due to corona, Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) tapped the first barrel of beer with three hits on Saturday.
Federal Minister of Health Karl-Lauterbach called for caution at the start of the Oktoberfest. “I don’t want to be a spoilsport: But anyone who visits the Wiesn should still be careful. Those who are already ill should definitely not visit. And everyone else should be tested before visiting a tent out of consideration for others,” said the SPD politician on Saturday German press agency with a view to the corona pandemic.
The fact that the giant folk festival is taking place again is justifiable. “The willingness to vaccinate, the understanding of the measures, the caution of the population make it possible.” Lauterbach himself, according to his ministry, turned down an invitation to the Wiesn.