'The keg is tapped' on world's biggest beer festival
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People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. The world's largest beer festival opened with a pop on Saturday as the first keg was tapped at Oktoberfest, a 16-day extravaganza of lederhosen, oompah music and millions of ales. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A young man displays a beer mug in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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A waitress carries beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Visitors drink beer in a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Visitors of the Oktoberfest cheer each other with beer bottles on September 22, 2012, in Munich, southern Germany. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Visitors wearing traditional Bavarian clothes line up to get the first beers in a festival tent at the start of the Oktoberfest beer festival at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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People queue outside the Schottenhammel tent to get a spot to watch the opening of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A reveller uses a plastic bag to cover herself from heavy rain on the opening day of the Munich Oktoberfest, at the Theresienwiese in Munich, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A waitress cleans tables and benches prior to opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival, in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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People await the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of a beer tent during heavy rain in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Ice-cream maker Matthias Muenz poses with white sausage flavoured ice-cream on a pretzel in his shop 'The crazy icecream maker' (Der verrueckte Eismacher) in Munich on Sept 21, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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The first day of London Oktoberfest 2012 festival at Kennington Park. -- PHOTO: DEMOTIX
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A man walks through the Hacker Pschorr beer tent during preparations for the 179th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday, Sept 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first barrel of beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Gingerbread hearts hang in a booth of the upcoming Oktoberfest beer festival at the Theresienwiese fair grounds in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 20, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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A man wearing traditional Bavarian clothes wears a decorated hat with hops, prior to the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of a beer tent during heavy rain in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
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Two men in traditional dresses wait for the opening of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first barrel of beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A reveller uses a mirror to check out a traditional Bavarian hat at the opening day of the Munich Oktoberfest at the Theresienwiese in Munich, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Visitors celebrate with beer mugs in a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Munich Mayor Christian Ude (L) and the Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer drink beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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A waitress carries beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. The world's largest beer festival opened with a pop on Saturday as the first keg was tapped at Oktoberfest, a 16-day extravaganza of lederhosen, oompah music and millions of ales. -- PHOTO: AFP
A young man displays a beer mug in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
A waitress carries beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Visitors drink beer in a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Visitors of the Oktoberfest cheer each other with beer bottles on September 22, 2012, in Munich, southern Germany. -- PHOTO: AFP
Visitors wearing traditional Bavarian clothes line up to get the first beers in a festival tent at the start of the Oktoberfest beer festival at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
People wait in front of a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
People queue outside the Schottenhammel tent to get a spot to watch the opening of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A reveller uses a plastic bag to cover herself from heavy rain on the opening day of the Munich Oktoberfest, at the Theresienwiese in Munich, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A waitress cleans tables and benches prior to opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival, in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
People await the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of a beer tent during heavy rain in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Ice-cream maker Matthias Muenz poses with white sausage flavoured ice-cream on a pretzel in his shop 'The crazy icecream maker' (Der verrueckte Eismacher) in Munich on Sept 21, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The first day of London Oktoberfest 2012 festival at Kennington Park. -- PHOTO: DEMOTIX
A man walks through the Hacker Pschorr beer tent during preparations for the 179th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday, Sept 18, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first barrel of beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Gingerbread hearts hang in a booth of the upcoming Oktoberfest beer festival at the Theresienwiese fair grounds in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 20, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
A man wearing traditional Bavarian clothes wears a decorated hat with hops, prior to the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in front of a beer tent during heavy rain in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
Two men in traditional dresses wait for the opening of the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Munich Mayor Christian Ude taps the first barrel of beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A reveller uses a mirror to check out a traditional Bavarian hat at the opening day of the Munich Oktoberfest at the Theresienwiese in Munich, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Visitors celebrate with beer mugs in a Oktoberfest beer festival tent at the Theresienwiese in Munich, southern Germany, on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Munich Mayor Christian Ude (L) and the Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer drink beer during the opening ceremony for the 179th Oktoberfest in Munich on Sept 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
A waitress carries beer mugs in the Hofbraeuhaus tent after the opening of the famous Bavarian 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
MUNICH (AFP) - The world's largest beer festival opened with a pop on Saturday as the first keg was tapped at Munich's Oktoberfest, a 16-day extravaganza of lederhosen, oompah music and millions of ales.
With the traditional cry of "O'zapft is" ("The keg is tapped") at midday, Mayor Christian Ude cracked open the first barrel and handed a foamy "Mass" (litre-sized glass) to a grateful Horst Seehofer, Bavaria's state premier.
A steady drizzle did not seem to put the party-goers off as long queues formed around 8am (2pm Singapore time) outside the bigger beer tents, two hours before the massive halls were to open and well before the suds began to flow.
American students Olivia Dassler, 19 and Brittany Cowan, 20, originally from California, came all the way from their university in Florence, Italy for the unique Oktoberfest experience.
