Germany’s iconic festival, Oktoberfest, that is notable for its large size beer servings and celebration of German culture, has kicked off in Munich after a break of two years due to coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday, September 17 saw the Bavarian capital Munich return to its biggest annual celebration, the Oktoberfest, that has returned to the streets of the southern German city after a forced break of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the celebrations, which will last two weeks until October 3, began, the participating beer breweries, restaurants and other vendors had bigger expectations from the annual carnival that is renowned around the world.

According to news reports, an estimated 487 beer breweries, restaurants, fish and meat grills, wine vendors and others will help bring a much-needed tourism boost to Munich.

To take advantage of the returning travellers, Oktoberfest officials have announced the event would be open longer each day, with the first beer tents opening at 9 am and closing at 1030 pm. The last orders will be taken at 930 pm. Before the pandemic, Munich’s tourism centerpiece welcomed around six million people annually.

“It’s beautiful,” Mayor Dieter Reiter said as the festival opened in the city centre on Saturday. “You can see the enthusiasm has returned.”

While there is positivity about the event’s return, rising inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine have impacted prices. On average, one-litre mugs of beer will cost between Eur 12-14 this year, an increase of about 15 pc compared to prices in 2019, mainly due to the sharp rise in energy prices.

In August, Oktoberfest head Clemens Baumgaertner said the festival would return to Munich without any restrictions related to Covid-19. “The Wiesn will take place,” Baumgaertner said. “It will take place like we know it from 2019, and not in any other way.”

Germany is expecting a sharp rise in foreign tourist arrivals this year and has mounted a campaign around celebration of German local culture and sustainable travel this year. The GNTO Office in India is also expecting a sharp rise in travellers this year and hope to cross the benchmark 1 million overnight stays by Indian tourists in the year 2023, marginally exceeding the 2019 numbers.