Saturday should have marked the start of Oktoberfest celebrations, but events across Germany were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ban was put in place to prevent "replacement parties" for the event, which draws around 6 million visitors annually, Deutschewelle reports. Police sent officers on Saturday to break up spontaneous large parties on the Oktoberfest grounds. But police reported that the atmosphere had remained peaceful, with just a few people, some in traditional Oktoberfest dress, walking or having picnics in small groups. At noon local time, the scaled-back event was marked by the traditional breaking open of beer barrels.

Source: The Standard September 20, 2020 05:48 UTC