Germany: Munich Beer Festival started

The 173rd Oktoberfest Beer Festival has opened in the southern German city of Munich. Hundreds of thousands of people turned up on Saturday for an opening ceremony at noon. To the more than six million people who will visit the German city of Munich over the next month, it makes perfect sense.

Munich mayor, Christian Ude, began the festivities with a twelve-gun salute, a signal to everyone to start the beer flowing. The world's biggest beer-drinking festival has long been a huge tourist draw, and some six million visitors from around the world are expected to fill the beer tents this year. People waited for hours to get a seat for a sing-along with polka bands. The Munich Beer Festival is set to run for 18 days.

Visitors at last year's 172nd Oktoberfest spent 955 million euros ($1.2 billion) on accommodation, public transport, shopping and, above all, 6 million liters of beer, 481,000 chickens, 560,000 pork knuckles and 95 oxen, according to the organizers.

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