On April 29, Munich mayor Dieter Reiter announced the return of the iconic beer festival for the first time in two years, “without conditions or restrictions”. The 187th Oktoberfest will take place from September 17 to October 3 on the largest fairground in Munich, the Theresienwiese.

Bavaria state premier Markus Söder said in a tweet that the return of Oktoberfest was “a good signal, especially in difficult times”.

The traditional Wiesn tapping is planned for Saturday, September 17 at 12 noon. The festival will open when the mayor of Munich officially taps the first beer keg and declares "O'zapft is" (it's tapped). Every year at Oktoberfest, the mayor faces a public challenge: the crowds always count the number of hits the mayor needs to tap into the beer keg. The current record-holder, mayor Reiter, managed it in just two strikes. 

Beer consumption at the last Oktoberfest in 2019 reached an epic 7.3 million litres. According to Oktoberfest.de, besides food and beer, other traditional events will also return to the festival this year: the colourful parade of the Wiesnwirte, the procession of traditional costumes and marksmen, open-air performances and traditional gun salute. 

Munich officials estimate that the world-famous festival usually attracts from five to seven million visitors every year, and generates around €1.23 billion/$1.29 billion for the local economy.