On Saturday,
September 18th, with the tapping of the first keg by Munich Mayor Christian Ude
and a cry of "O'zapft is!", Oktoberfest 2010 officially started in Munich,
Germany. While this year marks the 177th Oktoberfest to be held, 2010 is the
200th anniversary of the very first Oktoberfest in 1810 (some years were missed
due to war or cholera outbreaks). The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to
celebrate the October 12th marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to join in
the festivities which were held over five days on the fields in front of the
city gates. This year, festivities will run until October 4, 2010. Collected
here are a few images from this opening weekend.
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