L’Oktoberfestthe famous German beer festival which attracts millions of visitors from all over the world, has reopened the doors today a Monaco after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The last time it was held in 2019 with a record figure of 6.3 million participants that they had drunk over 7.3 million liters of beer. In his 200 years of historythe largest folk festival in the world – which runs until 3 October and which normally generates 1.2 billion euros in revenue in the state coffers – was only deleted 26 timesmainly due to WWI and WWII, but also twice due to cholera outbreaks.
Il Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter kicked off the ceremony by opening a keg of beer with a hammer blow and offering the first mug to regional government chief Markus Soeder. Friday, the German Federation of Brewers DBB he had reported to the government of the numerous challenges it was facing due to the war in Ukraine, including soaring energy prices and disruptions in the supply chain. “The government must react – he said -. Without rapid intervention and state aid, hundreds of companies in the German beverage sector will disappear and thousands will become jobless. ‘
In a letter published by the German weekly The time, the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter wrote that he had certainly “complicated his life” in deciding that this year, whatever the cost, there would be Oktoberfest again. Even if the moment, he admits, may not be considered suitable, due to the energy crisis, the economic crisis and also due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Given that the desire to celebrate had completely passed since the day the virus spread, Reiter now asked himself if “it is possible organize the biggest folk festival in the world at a time like thiswith beer and atmospheric music under the awning “to answer that perhaps the same request «it could be placed in the way permanente»For all spectacular initiatives, be they festivals, entertainment, theatrical evenings and concerts.
«We must stop every celebration and every joy? I think not, we don’t have to “and” that’s why I decided that Oktoberfest will take place, it will be held again in 2022 after a two-year break for the coronavirus and it will start this weekend “, from today 17 September to 3 October, said the mayor. “When I announced my decision at the end of April, not everyone was enthusiastic, there were also critical letters from citizens. But I repeat: I don’t think it makes sense not to celebrate for too long. I believe, however, that also in the most difficult moments there is need for distraction. At the same time I say: it was not easy to say yes to the initiative. There is no black and white in these things. This resolution, this inner conflict, was one of the most difficult things in my experience as mayor ».
Then turning a final reflection to the issue of infections, Dieter Reiter writes: “I take the issue of the pandemic very seriously” and “before making my decision, I therefore examined the situation in hospitals, not only in Munich, but in all Upper Bavaria. At that time, the impact of the virus in clinics was waning, however the clinics are under stress. Many operations need to be re-established, hospitals always go 110% anyway. So one thing was immediately clear to me: we must be careful and be cautious when we host Oktoberfest“. But let the party begin anyway.