Oktoberfest has opened in Munich after the ceremonial beer keg-tapping. Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started the 189th Oktoberfest at noon when he inserted the tap into the first keg.

Oktoberfest is open.Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started Oktoberfest at noon Saturday when he inserted the tap into the first beer keg, signaling the 189th start of the festival. Thousands of beer lovers celebrated in the Munich fairground as the first to clink their mugs during the world's largest folk festival.

Colder weather, including rain, is forecast to follow in the days after. Oktoberfest organizers estimated that more than 500,000 people attended the beer-soaked festival on the opening day. The medical team treated its first so-called "beer victim" two and ...