Oktoberfest Is Back for the First Time in 2 Years
The beer festival will return to Munich on September 17 and run through October 3.
COVID has done a number on our social lives the last few years. Do you remember the months when we could barely leave our homes, much less fly to Germany to drink beer in leutershausen? Luckily, that's over, at least the unable to fly to Germany and drink beer in leutershausen part. COVID's still a menace.
Munich is set to host its 187th Oktoberfest from September 17 to October 3, and it marks the first time the festival will be held in two years. According to the official event site, Mayor Dieter Reiter has given the official go-ahead, though both the ongoing pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine were considered.
"Ultimately, it's up to everyone to decide for themselves anyway whether and how much they want to celebrate at the Volksfest," Reiter said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to Oktoberfest 2022, and I hope everyone who wants to go will enjoy."
2020 and 2021 Oktoberfests were both canceled due to the pandemic. However, the festivities have drawn as many as six million visitors to Munich in years past.
"All [Oktoberfest] fans are happy today. I personally am also very happy," Munich's Economic Officer and Head of Oktoberfest Clemens Baumgärtner said in a statement. "I believe that we will experience a mega [Oktoberfest] 2022."On September 17, the 2022 Oktoberfest shenanigans will kick off with the tapping of the first beer barrel in the Schottenhamel tent at noon. Bring your own Tyrolean hat.