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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.
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