Tight security and no joints: the Munich Beer Festival opened Saturday under a bright sun but in a tense context after a series of attacks with presumed Islamist motivations in Germany. “We will secure the Oktoberfest as best we can,” promised the mayor of the Bavarian capital, Dieter Reiter, for the 189th edition of the largest folk festival in the world which takes place until October 6.
Last year, this event broke all attendance records by welcoming 7.2 million visitors who consumed a total of 6.5 million liters of beer. Metal detectors, searches at the entrance of visitors, surveillance cameras, the city of Munich has not skimped on the means to eliminate any potential danger.
An attack foiled at the beginning of the month
The country remains deeply shocked after a knife attack in late August, claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group and committed by a Syrian on the occasion of a large public festival in Solingen, a city in western Germany celebrating its 650th anniversary. It left three dead and eight injured. In early September, Munich police shot dead a young Austrian known for his Islamist sympathies as he was preparing to commit a terrorist attack against the Israeli consulate general.
Also in the crosshairs of the forces at Oktoberfest: drug use. Because despite the legalization of cannabis on April 1st in Germany, joints will remain prohibited. The conservative government of the regional state of Bavaria has in fact decided to ban the consumption of this drug on the terraces of cafes, restaurants and at festivals. Any offender risks a fine of up to 1,500 euros.
Born at the beginning of the 19th century, on the occasion of a wedding within the Bavarian royal family, the festival took place in October as its name suggests. But its date was then brought forward to September to benefit from more clement weather. A recurring subject of debate, the price of beer has not been spared by inflation in recent years: a one-litre mug will cost between 13.60 and 15.30 euros, or on average 3.87% more than last year, according to the Oktoberfest website. This is double the price of 2006.
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