Every September, Munich hosts the planet’s biggest kegger — Oktoberfest. This world-famous party is a sloppy soup of locals and tourists swaying their beer steins and toasting to the scene’s Gemütlichkeit (cozy and convivial atmosphere).

Oktoberfest dates back to 1810, when the Bavarian king threw a grand public wedding reception for his son. It was such a hit that they decided to do it again the next year. And the next, and the next. More than 200 years later, it’s become one of Europe’s best-known festivals — a beer-fueled frenzy of dancing, music, pretzels, and amusement-park rides, with around seven million visitors consuming nearly seven million liters of beer every year.

Despite its name, the party gets underway in mid-September and ends on the first weekend of October. From the ma

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