176th Oktoberfest opens in Germany

(NECN/APTV) – Munich mayor Christian Ude on Friday opened the 176th Oktoberfest, Germany’s annual beer festival on Saturday, with the traditional cry of “It’s tapped! ” It took Ude just two swift strokes to pound a spigot into the first massive keg of beer. Following festival protocol, he handed the first litre mug, called a “Mass,” to Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer. A 12-gun salute signaled that it was time to start serving the public. Before the festival a traditional music parade of Brewers and Festival Landlords took place. The 16-day festival is a huge tourist draw for this southern German city. This year, 6 (m) million visitors from all over the world are expected to prowl Munich’s sprawling 77-acre (31-hectare) Theresienwiese grounds. Every year, visitors down more than 1.6 million gallons (six million litres) of beer and eat around 500-thousand chickens and 100 oxen.