It's Oktoberfest!!!! MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Beer lovers wearing traditional Bavarian costumes raised their glasses and sang lusty German drinking songs on Saturday to open Munich's Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival. Around seven million beer devotees are expected to crowd the 14 cavernous beer tents during the 16-day festival and the thirsty hordes are set to quaff around 1.3 million gallons of strong Bavarian lager. Munich mayor Christian Ude, wearing Bavarian leather shorts, or lederhosen, cracked open the first 200-liter keg at noon with a hammer and shouted ``O'zapft is'' -- the keg is tapped. There were loud cheers before he beer fans settled down to concentrate on the annual orgy of lager-guzzling. Everyone agreed the atmosphere was much better than last year's festival, which was nearly canceled after the September 11 attacks. Fewer visitors and a somber note last year made for a subdued Oktoberfest, itself the victim of a bomb attack in 1980 in which 13 people died, but there were few signs of residual gloom at this year's event. ``The spirit has not changed, it's incredible. Last year was pretty subdued, but this year there's a throng of people. And security has been increased, which I'm glad to see,'' said Peter Valdivia, a Canadian computer animator living in Munich. Already one of Germany's richest cities, the Oktoberfest usually injects nearly $980 million into Munich's local economy and provides work for 14,000 people. DANCING ON TABLES In the huge beer tents, each holding up to 10,000 people, thousands danced on long wooden tables, holding aloft one-liter beer glasses and devoured chickens and legs of pork. ``People are happier this year. I think in a way they needed last year to happen to help them realize how good it's been since the terrible bomb attack in 1980. The people are nicer,'' said Annie Cameron of the Munich Caledonian Association. The Oktoberfest started life in 1810 as a five-day festival to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausen and has since turned into a festival of excess which has no equal in the world. A lederhosen-clad Michael Koch, who works for a logistics firm, was celebrating his 50th Oktoberfest. ``This is great, totally extraordinary. It's my 50th Oktoberfest this year and it seems like a return to form after last year, which was subdued,'' he said between sips of beer. A liter of beer (or about 2 pints) at the Oktoberfest this year will set you back up to $6.67 but few were complaining. ``The beer is special, the women are gorgeous, the atmosphere is good. This is my first Oktoberfest and it's awesome,'' said Rory MacFarlane, 22, a student from Johannesburg.
.....but it's still September. Everyone is always in such a hurry . Actually, last year was the first time I've ever celebrated Oktoberfest. We went to Garden in the Heights and had a great time listening to the music. I had no idea my 2 yr. old daughter loved German music so much. She danced in circles and did the chicken for 2 hours straight! You'll never get me in one of those outfits, though. What's it called? Liederhosen?
