Oktoberfest – an excuse to drink as much beer as you like in the name of cultural celebration.

The 185th Oktoberfest beer festival opened in Munich this weekend, and organisers are gearing up for over six million visitors over the next two weeks, reports the Atlantic.

Yes, Oktoberfest kicks off in September.

The last keg will be tapped on October 7, and by the look of things, the party is already going strong.

The Bavarian beer festival, the largest in the world, is held on Munich’s Theresienwiese, a large open space just southwest of the city center [sic]. In 2018, the average price one can expect to pay for a one-liter mug of beer at Oktoberfest is 11.24 euros ($13,22).

That’s around R190 for a litre-mug, which makes for an expensive down-down.

Enjoy these pics of the opening weekend, guaranteed to get you craving a draught.

I never fully understood combining beer and rollercoasters, but here we are:

Folks enjoying a few beers in an awesome beer tent:

The crowds are already huge, and it’s only week one:

Ferris wheels and beer seems like a better idea:

Members of a traditional Bavarian marching band drink beer in the Armbrustschuetzenzelt tent following the Oktoberfest parade of costumes of folk and crafts associations:

You cannot carry as many pints as these women:

He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake…

Things getting out of hand:

Things just before they got out of hand:

And this guy, who looks like he’s chasing that woman into the festival. Good times.

Bonus picture – this guy’s hat is cooler than yours.

Those are beer hops, not whatever you were thinking.

[source:atlantic]