Oktoberfest – the world’s largest beer festival held annually in the German city of Munich continues to be canceled for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This statement was made by Bavarian Premier Markus Söder and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter at a press conference on May 3.
Visitors enjoy beer at the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany, September 21, 2019. Photo: THX/VNA According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Germany, speaking at a press conference, both Mr. Söder and Mr. Reiter emphasized that the forced to continue canceling this year’s beer festival was made based on the epidemic situation as well as the current regulations on epidemic prevention, including keeping distance and wearing masks. Bavarian officials are concerned about the risk of widespread infection when too many people gather in beer tents to eat and dance once the festival is held. The early notification of the cancellation of the beer festival is to help the participating units know to be proactive when planning the preparation as well as hiring workers to serve the festival. According to the original plan, this year’s beer festival was planned to be held from September 18 to October 3. The Oktoberfest was first held in 1810 and has been canceled more than 20 times in its 210-year history for various reasons, such as war and epidemics. Last year, the festival was also canceled for the first time in 70 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent beer festival in 2019 attracted about 6.3 million visitors from all over the country, bringing in around 1.23 billion euros for the city.
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