For Oktoberfest-Goers In Munich, A Parade And A Party

By Bill Chappell

Published September 21, 2014 at 12:46 PM CDT

Men and women in their traditional Bavarian clothing enjoy the atmosphere at the Augustiner Beer tent after the Parade of Costumes and Riflemen (Trachten- und Schuetzenzug) in Munich. The 181st Oktoberfest will be open to the public from September 20 through October 5 and traditionally draws millions of visitors from across the globe in the world's largest beer fest.

1 of 6 — Men and women in their traditional Bavarian clothing enjoy the atmosphere at the Augustiner Beer tent after the Parade of Costumes and Riflemen (Trachten- und Schuetzenzug) in Munich. The 181st Oktoberfest will be open to the public from September 20 through October 5 and traditionally draws millions of visitors from across the globe in the world's largest beer fest.

2 of 6 — A woman carries 11 liters of beer in the Hofbräu tent.

Participants of the Parade of Costumes and Riflemen (Trachten- und Schuetzenzug) wearing 'Wadlstruempfe' traditional Bavarian stockings gather on the second day of the 2014 Oktoberfest in Munich.

3 of 6 — Participants of the Parade of Costumes and Riflemen (Trachten- und Schuetzenzug) wearing 'Wadlstruempfe' traditional Bavarian stockings gather on the second day of the 2014 Oktoberfest in Munich.

4 of 6 — A marching band participates in the costume and shooting club parade at the Oktoberfest in Munich, celebrating Bavaria in Germany.

5 of 6 — A brass band dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes takes part in the Oktoberfest parade in Munich Sunday.

6 of 6 — People in traditional Bavarian clothes take a break after the Oktoberfest parade in Munich.

Munich kicked off this year's Oktoberfest Saturday, beginning festivities in which the city expects to host 6 million visitors. Today's events included a parade celebrating Bavarian culture – and of course, the rampant consumption of beer, served in a traditional one-liter Mass mug.

The 16-day festival will end on Oct. 5. In that time, organizers say people will drink enough beer to fill more than two Olympic swimming pools. And as we noted in a post back in 2011, celebrants normally lose more than 4,000 items at Munich's big party. The lost property has previously included a wheelchair and a Viking helmet.

Looking around for news from this year's festival, we noticed these interesting bits:

For the first time, beer prices have risen over 10 euros ($12.83) for one liter.

The traditional men's Gamsbart hat – with a tuft of animal hair representing a hunting trophy – is a status symbol that "costs around 1000 euros," or $1,283, according to Deutsche Welle.

In the Ochsenbraterei beer tent, the specialty is roast oxen, reports Germany's The Local. A plate of the meat, which is roasted on-site, costs nearly 16 euros (about $20.50).

Nearly 7 million liters of beer will be served. Most of it is around 6 percent alcohol by volume.

In the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent, "an entire field of hops is used to decorate," The Local says.