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Festival enjoy the first glasses of beer on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
MUNICH (AP) - Bridie O'Halloran drank the first beer of her life at Oktoberfest.
The 19-year-old Australian pronounced it "the best I've had" after finishing roughly a quarter of her liter (33 fluid ounce) mug on Saturday. Wearing a pink dirndl dress she'd bought just a few hours earlier, O'Halloran was surrounded by tens of thousands of other - likely more experienced - beer-drinkers for the first of 16 days of the 189th Oktoberfest in Munich.
The revelers celebrated Saturday to mark the official opening of the world's largest folk festival. Mayor Dieter Reiter started the celebration at noon when he inserted the tap into the first beer keg.
Paulaner brewmaster Christian Dahncke taps the first beer barrel on the opening day of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Waitresses carry beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus beer tent on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Servers immediately began ferrying beers - each carrying up to 10 glass mugs - across the packed tents. Guests started clinking their mugs and taking deep gulps of beer in the stuffy heat inside as bands played traditional Bavarian folk music. But plaques reminded them not to dance on the tables.
The festival runs through Oct. 6 in 18 large tents covering the Theresienwiese fairground. About 6 million visitors are expected over the festival's 16 days - up to 600,000 each day - and can expect to shell out between 13.60 and 15.30 euros ($15.12 to $17.01) for a big mug of beer. This year's prices are roughly 3.87% more than in 2023.
This year also includes stepped-up security in the wake of a deadly knife attack in Solingen, a city roughly 470 kilometers (292 miles) northwest of Munich. The violence on Aug. 23 left three people dead and eight more wounded, and the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, without citing evidence. As a result, organizers added metal detectors to the security procedures for the first time in Oktoberfest's history, but said there were no concrete threats.
Visitors wait in the tent of the Hacker-Pschorr brewery the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
People run to enter the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Early Saturday, revelers sprinted through the fairgrounds at 9 a.m. as soon as the entrances opened, despite security officers' attempts to keep the procession orderly. They laughed despite the morning chill - someone could be heard shrieking "why are we running!" - and raced to get in line again, but this time to be first inside the tents and claim their tables.
After a traditional parade and Reiter's ceremonial keg-tapping, festivalgoers inside and outside the tents turned their attention to beer and food, with roasted chicken, bratwurst and pretzels being among the most popular. Amusement park rides offered entertainment for young merrymakers who had journeyed to the fairgrounds with their parents.
People enjoy the evening at the opening day of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The Oktoberfest hosts arrive for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Like many others there on Saturday, Mikael Caselitz, 24, was born and raised in Munich and has attended Oktoberfest for years. He said everyone should travel to the city for the festival at least once in their lives.
"It can get really crowded and disgusting when people puke on the side of the road," he joked, "but overall it's a really fun experience."
Ollie Standen woke up at 6 a.m. to get in line well ahead of the noon keg-tapping. The 21-year-old from England is in Munich this year for a university exchange program and a local friend told him he had to join the festivities. He said he's looking forward to trying different German beers that aren't usually found in the United Kingdom.
"It's a great German tradition and I'm excited to be here," he said.
The event was skipped in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with COVID-19, but returned in 2022.
The first Oktoberfest was held on Oct. 17, 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Theresa of Saxony. The venue, a meadow on the edge of Munich at the time, was called "Theresienwiese" to honor the bride. While that name remains, the start date has moved up to September, when the temperatures in Bavaria are usually warmer.
The Oktoberfest hosts arrive for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A visitor in traditional Bavarian clothes and a moustache is seen at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Beer mugs are prepared in a marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Young visitors await the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Police patrols before the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Festival goer reach out for the first glasses of beer on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Visitors secured their place in a beer tent, awaiting the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A waitress carrying beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus beer tent on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The traditional Oktoberfest music bands parade at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Waitresses film the opening start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A man with a traditional Bavarian hat is pictured in the sun at start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of paintings showing Munich landmarks in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A Bavarian musician mirror in a tuba at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Visitors await the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of paintings showing Munich landmarks in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A waitress prepares beer mugs in the Augustiner marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A waitress prepares tables in a marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, early Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Waitresses wait for the gate opening before the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
People run to enter the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The Oktoberfest hosts arrive for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bavarian musicians prepare in the Augustiner marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A giant beer mug of the 'Paulaner' brewery is illuminated at the opening day of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Young visitors await the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A woman sells Pretzels at the Hofbraeuhaus beer tent on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A man with a traditional Bavarian hat is pictured at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of paintings showing Munich landmarks in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A drinking Lion, the mascot of 'Loewenbraeu' brewery, sits on the rooftop besides a giant beer mug, the logo of 'Paulaner' brewery, on the opening day of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Young visitors await the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The Oktoberfest hosts arrive for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A waitress poses with guests at the Hofbraeuhaus beer tent on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bavarian musicians prepare in the Augustiner marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
People enjoy the evening at the opening day of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Police secures the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Visitors await the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of paintings showing Munich landmarks in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Festival goer reach out for the first glasses of beer at the Hofbraehaus beer tent, on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bavarian musicians walk, at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A woman prepares a Gingerbread stand for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The traditional Oktoberfest music bands parade at the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Festival goers fight for the first glasses of beer at the Hofbraehaus beer tent on day one of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Waitresses and musicians prepare in the Augustiner marquee for the start of the 189th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
