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Germany's 178th Oktoberfest beer festival opens
Sep 17, 2011, 11:15 GMT
Munich - Germany's 178th Oktoberfest opened in Munich on Saturday, with the mayor of the city, Christian Ude, tapping the first keg of beer with the traditional words, 'O'Zapft ist,' (It's tapped.)
The two-week festival, which features prolific beer consumption, is expected to draw around 6 million visitors from around the world.
Festivalgoers appeared undeterred by this year's record beer prices - topping 9 euros (12 dollars) per litre - as the large festival marquees had to shut to prevent overcrowding.
Many visitors arrived hours before the official opening to secure a seat in one of the tents, which each hold thousands of people. Women were dressed in the traditional Bavarian Dirndl dresses, while men wore Lederhosen, or leather shorts.
Security has been increased at this year's festival, with almost 200 concrete barriers to prevent vehicles from speeding onto the festival grounds. Around 500 police officers are to patrol the event, although no specific security threats had been reported.
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