Oktoberfest opens in Munich Germany

Oktoberfest opened in the southern German city of Munich over the weekend. Now, security may be tighter than usual this year, but it's still a good time for millions of revelers.

The world's largest beer festival, the annual Munich Oktoberfest, opened for the 176th time on Saturday as organizers expect around six-million visitors to attend the two-week long party. At 12 noon, the mayor of Munich officially declared the festival open when he traditionally tapped the first beer keg with a wooden hammer.

Visitors each year consume millions of litres of beer and hundreds of thousands of sausages. Although many visitors come from abroad, Oktoberfest is a highlight for many Bavarians who turn out in traditional lederhosen and low-cut "dirndl" dresses.

Visitor Enrico Gosemani said, "It is great. We have been waiting all year for it and I hope it carries on like this for the next 16 days. It is a bit difficult with the children but at the moment it is really good fun."

This year however, the party mood was dampened slightly as the German government stepped up security at the event because of a heightened risk of attacks linked to a federal election in Sept.