Munich’s Oktoberfest finally back on after pandemic pause

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s annual Oktoberfest festival is finally on again for this fall, following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The head of the famous Bavarian beer festival in Munich said Thursday the celebrations will be held without any pandemic restrictions from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3. Some 487 beer breweries, restaurants, fish grills, wine vendors and others will be present and opening hours will be even longer than in the past, with the first beer tents opening at 9 a.m. in the morning and closing at 10:30 p.m. The last orders will be taken at 9:30 p.m. A one-liter (two-pint) mug of beer will cost between 12.60 to 13.80 euros ($12.84-14.07) this year.