Oktoberfest - Munich
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Oktoberfest - Munich
Oktoberfest (which literally means feast of October) 
is a popular two weeks festival, taking place every year between the end of September and the beginning of October.
It is one of the most famous events of the city, and the greatest beer fair of the world, with some 6 millions visitors.
The event takes place on a large area of 42 hectares, the Theresienwiese. Here a mammoth amusement park is mounted, with stands (Festhalle) where the 6 traditional Munich beers are served (Paulaner, Spaten, Hofbrä, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner e Löwenbrä) .
Actually the Oktoberfest may last even 17 or 18 days, depending on which day falls the first of Sunday of October. If it falls on the 1st or 2nd day, the feast ends on the 3rd, the day of the German Reunion. For the occasion, the 6 authorized breweries supply the stands (Bierzelte) with a special kind of beer: the marzen, slightly darker and stronger in taste and alcohol content. The beer stands can contain 3.000 to 10.000 persons, and require a 2 months preparation.
One of the most important moments of the Oktoberfest is the opening ceremony, when the mayor of the city is invited to prepare the first beer. To do that, he must insert the cock into the inaugural barrel, with powerful hits. Afterwards, the famous phrase O'Zapft is! is pronounced, and the feast can officially begin.