Oktoberfest will open after the ceremonial keg-tapping by Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter when he inserts the tap into the first keg at noon on Saturday

Oktoberfest is open. Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started Oktoberfest at noon when he inserted the tap into the first keg, signaling the 189th start of the festival. Thousands of beer lovers celebrated in the Munich fairground as the first to clink their mugs during the world’s largest folk festival.

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The festival takes place in Munich every year, at Theresienwiese, a 100-acre fairground space in the city’s Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district, near the Old Town. Believe it or not, Oktoberfest isn’t actually considered a beer festival in Germany – instead, it’s a folksy celebration popular among families as well as those after a stein or two.

On Saturday at 9 am (0700 GMT) on the dot, the stewards opened the entrances to Munich's Oktoberfest, allowing visitors to rush towards the beer tents. Visitors to the Wiesn - as the event is known locally - then flocked in from all sides,

MUNICH -- Oktoberfest is open. Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started Oktoberfest at noon Saturday when he inserted the tap into the first beer keg, signaling the 189th start of the festival. Thousands of beer lovers celebrated in the Munich fairground as the first to clink their mugs during the world’s largest folk festival.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter opened Germany's feted Oktoberfest by tapping the first barrel of beer at noon on Saturday, officially kicking off the world's largest folk festival. Reiter, a Social Democrat,