Overview

• Gates opened at 9 a.m. with visitors admitted in waves, after some queued from the early hours to secure tent seats before beer is served at noon following the mayor’s keg tap.
• Oberbürgermeister Dieter Reiter is set to perform the traditional Anstich at 12:00 in the Schottenhamel tent, formally launching the 16‑day festival running through 5 October.
• Most large tents charge about €15.40 per Maß this year, with prices ranging from €14.50 (Augustiner-Festhalle) to €15.80 (Münchner Stubn), and average water prices reported at €10.95 per liter.
• Police report no specific threat but maintain a high alert posture with perimeter checks, bag limits, cameras and a Bundespolizei order extending the knife and weapons ban to areas around Hauptbahnhof and Hackerbrücke.
• Heidi Klum’s televised pre‑event “HeidiFest” at the Hofbräuhaus on 18 September featured 600–700 invited guests and playback performances, serving as a celebrity lead‑in to the festival.