Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
After the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the world-famous beer festival for two years in a row, Oktoberfest is finally set to return to the city of Munich in 2022.
City authorities confirmed on Friday that the world’s largest folk festival would resume in September 2022 in the capital of Bavaria, after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and restrictions on events.
Munich’s Mayor, Dieter Reiter, said he had a hard time making the decision due to the war in Ukraine, which would make celebrations, events and festivals seem inappropriate. However, counter arguments were made that the festival makes a contribution to international unity by bringing together so many different visitors from countries all over the world.
Reiter added that this year’s Oktoberfest would take place as normal, with no coronavirus restrictions in place. He said he hoped nothing would happen in the meantime to force a last-minute cancellation.
In its 200-year history, the festival has been cancelled just 26 times, mostly due to the First and Second World Wars, but also twice due to cholera outbreaks. The last time the festival went ahead in recent times, in 2019, the 6,3 million guests drank more than 7,3 million litres of German beer.
Oktoberfest is scheduled to take place between September 17 and October 3, 2022.