Revellers raise their beer steins to return of Oktoberfest after pandemic pause

The annual Oktoberfest festival is on again for this autumn, the German city of Munich said, following a two-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dieter Reiter, the mayor of the Bavarian capital, said the popular beer festival will be held without restrictions from September 17 to October 3, Germany’s national day.

The Oktoberfest, first held in 1810 in honour of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese, has been cancelled dozens of times during its more than 200-year history due to wars and pandemics.

The announcement was welcomed by the Bavarian hotel and restaurant association.