The 188th Oktoberfest in Munich opened on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. in great weather and with a successful tapping. “Let’s try two shots again this year,” said Mayor Dieter Reiter (65, SPD) optimistically in the well-filled Schottenhamel festival tent. “He’s a little nervous,” his wife Petra Reiter clarified. After two strong blows it was said again: “O’zapft is”!
The first pint of beer was traditionally presented to Prime Minister Markus Söder (56, CSU), who is particularly looking forward to “Hendl Hendl Hendl” this year. Together, Söder and Reiter then raised their standards for a first “Happy to Coziness”.
Numerous prominent faces also gathered in the Schottenhamel festival tent for the tapping. Among those present was pop singer Florian Silbereisen (42), who was allowed to ride on the carriage for the first time this year. “Last year I wasn’t there, this year I was finally back at the Oktoberfest,” said the musician happily. “What more could we want, the weather is playing along, the atmosphere is sensational.”
The Austrian singer Andreas Gabalier (38) also celebrated next to him on the beer tent bench: “This is Munich. […] This is really a little homecoming.”
