"The 190th Oktoberfest beer festival, thought to be the world's biggest public festival, is to close on Sunday in the southern city of Munich after two weeks of revelry. The festival this year drew 6.5 million visitors, who also drank 6.5 million liters (1.7 million gallons) of beer, according to Munich authorities. The number is slightly down on 2024, when some 6.7 million revelers downed about 7 million liters."
""For me, it was a roller-coaster Wiesn," Munich's economic adviser Christian Scharpf, who headed the festival organization, told the German DPA news agency, using the dialect word for the festival. Scharpf said that while record temperatures on the first days of the festival had given the event a "dream start," the event had seen a few hitches, with gates having to be closed temporarily on two days amid overcrowding and almost a complete day lost while police searched the venue for a bomb."
"Speaking of the reopening after the bomb scare, Scharpf said, "The most beautiful experience for me was feeling that sense of 'we'll enjoy ourselves all the more now.' People returned to the Wiesn immediately after the closure was lifted and celebrated with a good feeling." Scharpf also gave a positive assessment. "The super Wiesn atmosphere and the great party mood among the people characterized the festival throughout," he said."
Munich's 190th Oktoberfest attracted about 6.5 million visitors who consumed roughly 6.5 million liters of beer, slightly down from 2024. The opening day set a heat record at 31°C (87.8°F) when the mayor tapped the first cask. The festival maintained a lively atmosphere despite operational challenges, including temporary gate closures on two days due to overcrowding and an almost complete day lost while police searched the venue for a bomb. After the search ended, attendees returned quickly and resumed celebrations. Approximately 21% of daily visitors were international, from countries such as the US, Italy and the UK.
Read at www.dw.com
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