Why Does the Munich Mayor Tap the First Keg at Oktoberfest?
The Schottenhamel tent is packed. At noon, the mayor of Munich steps forward with a wooden mallet and drives a tap into a fresh keg. Two strokes. The cry “O’zapt is” – roughly “it is tapped” – and the 191st Oktoberfest is officially open. That scene is the festival’s true starting signal, and the person holding the mallet sets the mood for the entire day.
A Two-Stroke Debut
For Dominik Krause, Munich’s Green party mayor, the 191st Oktoberfest was his first tapping ceremony. He needed two strokes. The Süddeutsche Zeitung described the scene in front of a full Schottenhamel tent, where the tap was driven home quickly and cleanly. A slow or bungled tap can become the day’s biggest story; a two-stroke effort lets the party begin without delay.
A Tradition Born in 1950
The ritual is younger than the festival itself. Only since 1950 has the Munich mayor handled the first tap. The first mayor to do it was Thomas Wimmer, and his attempt became a record. According to Tagesschau, Wimmer needed 17 strokes before the tap held. That record remains unbroken, and it shapes how every later mayor is judged.
The number of strokes matters because it is the first fact people repeat about the opening. A mayor who succeeds in two swings gets a moment of glory; one who struggles gives the crowd a story that can last for years.
The Morning Race for a Seat
Long before the tap, the Theresienwiese is already busy. Visitors gather at the entrances in the dark. WEB.DE reported that by 7am the queue stretched hundreds of meters from the main gate. The gates opened just after 9am, held back a few extra minutes to avoid a single crushing rush.
Once inside, many visitors run for a tent. The Hacker tent filled within minutes of the gates opening. The beer does not start flowing until the mayoral tap, so finding a seat is the only goal. The first Maß is then given to the Bavarian minister president, who traditionally enters the tent behind the mayor.
A Brief Stop at the Memorial
The opening has a solemn side. Before entering the tent, Krause and Munich’s two other mayors stopped at the memorial for the victims of the 1980 Oktoberfest bombing. A right-wing extremist attack killed 12 people and wounded more than 200 there. The short pause is a reminder that the festival’s history is not only about beer.
Why the First Tap Matters
The mayor’s tap is the city’s way of declaring the festival open. It is a public skill test, a political tradition, and the moment the tents erupt. On the 191st Oktoberfest, two strokes did the job. The roar that followed was the real verdict.