Oktoberfest kicks off in Munich

MUNICH — Munich's Oktoberfest kicked off Saturday with the city's mayor tapping the first keg of beer and opening the 191st edition of the world's largest folk festival.

Mayor Dominik Krause put the first keg on tap with only two strokes and the traditional cry of “O’zapft is” — or “It's been tapped.”

Thousands of revelers — the women dressed in Bavarian dirndls, the men in lederhosen — stormed the beer tents on Munich's Theresienwiese fairground in the morning to get a good spot on the benches. To the sounds of brass music and the taste of freshly tapped beer, they soon started singing, dancing and swaying.

Besides beer, pretzels, pork roast and sausages were also sought-after delicacies.

Over the course of 16 days, through Oct. 4, some 6 million visitors are expected at the Oktoberfest. The majority of them come from Munich and southern Germany. However, millions of guests also travel from other parts of Germany and from around the world.

German authorities tightened security measures, after the festival last year had to close temporarily due to overcrowding. AI-powered cameras were installed for this year's fest to detect large crowds early on, the German news agency dpa reported.

A ban on knives and flying objects — especially drones — was also in effect. There are entry checks, large bags are prohibited — and smoking marijuana is not allowed. About 600 police officers are on duty around the festival in addition to Bavarian riot police, specialized pickpocket investigators, and international task forces from eight countries, dpa reported.

Revelers did not seem intimidated by the security precautions.

Ava Laboncher, a visitor from the United States, was excited to be part of the celebrations. “I love it, I think the vibes are super high, it’s amazing," she said.

Ben Dawson, from New Zealand, promised to drink lots of beer “and probably get hammered,” and “do it again tomorrow.”