Welcome to the Oktoberfest in Munich!

This Oktoberfest tradition is relatively recent-it only began in 1950, when the then mayor, Thomas Wimmer, tapped the first keg. The Munich Oktoberfest (Munich Beerfest) is one of the most famous events and the world's largest fair. Oktoberfest 2014 will be no exception. With some six million people attending every year, it is an important part of Bavarian culture. Think Disneyland for adults. Think must do! Munich's Oktoberfest began life as a wedding for the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig to princess Therese from Saxony-Hildburghausen (hence the name of the Theresienwiese) on October 12, 1810 and attended by the local community. Today the Munich Beerfest traditionally takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October with Oktoberfest 2014 starting on Saturday, 20th September until Sunday the 5th of October. To encourage family attendance, each of the two Tuesday afternoons of the Oktoberfest are designated Familiennachmittagen (from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.) with special prices for public transportation and entry. Just as in Munich's everyday beer gardens, beer is no reason to keep the kids away from Oktoberfest. (Remember, this is a country where even McDonald's has beer on its drink menu!) But security measures during the two weeks, including video cameras in some areas, are designed to keep everyone safe, Kazinform refers to munichsoktoberfest.com.