The world-famous Oktoberfest festival will go back to Munich this fall, authorities said Friday, carrying out a two-year pause due to the pandemic.
According to Dieter Reiter, the mayor from the Bavarian capital, the annual beer festival will run from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3, Germany’s national day, without pandemic restrictions.
Announcing the resumption of the festival, Reiter said that it had been a difficult decision to create because of the war in Ukraine, that could make such celebrations look inappropriate.
“Ultimately, it’s as much as everyone to determine for themselves anyway whether and how much they would like to celebrate at the Volksfest,” Reiter said in a statement, adding, “I’m looking forward to a Oktoberfest 2022 that I hope everyone who would like to go will love.”
Supporters of the event’s resumption have rebutted concerns about the festival’s appropriateness throughout the Ukraine war by claiming that the festival plays a role in world understanding since it attracts people from so many nations.
The Bavarian Hotel and Restaurant Association welcomed the announcement.
According towards the breweries’ statistics, the 6.3 million visitors who attended the event in 2022 consumed 7.3 million litres of beer.
Oktoberfest, which began in 1810 to commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese, continues to be canceled 26 times in its nearly 200-year history because of wars or various pandemics.
This may be the very first time in two years that Oktoberfest continues to be officially celebrated, as festivities were canceled both this past year and in 2022.
“All [Oktoberfest] fans are pleased today. Personally, i am extremely happy,” Munich’s Economic Officer and Head of Oktoberfest Clemens Baumg”artner said in a statement. “I have faith that we'll experience a mega [Oktoberfest] 2022.”
The 2022 festival is going to be officially opened with the traditional tapping from the first beer barrel within the Schottenhamel tent at noon on September 17.
This year, visitors will once again be able to make the most of historic rides at the Oide Wiesn. This event was originally intended as a one-off to mark the 200th anniversary of the Oktoberfest this year, but proved very popular that it became a tradition in its own right.
