Beer flows as overcrowded Oktoberfest opens in Munich

The first keg has been tapped and the beer is flowing as the 186th Oktoberfest gets underway in the southern German city of Munich.

Mayor Dieter Reiter inserted the tap in the first keg on Saturday with two blows of a hammer and the cry of "O'zapt is" — "it's tapped." As tradition demands, he handed the first mug to Bavarian governor Markus Soeder.

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People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Musicians in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

A young lady waves during a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Police officers stand guard as visitors enter the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People run to enter the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Young women arrive for the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes on a horse cart take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Men in traditional costumes carry rifles as they take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People reach out for a glass of beer during the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Visitors hold smartphones during the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

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People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Musicians in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

A young lady waves during a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Police officers stand guard as visitors enter the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People run to enter the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Young women arrive for the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes on a horse cart take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People in traditional costumes take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Men in traditional costumes carry rifles as they take part in a parade as part of the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

People reach out for a glass of beer during the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Visitors hold smartphones during the opening of the 186th 'Oktoberfest' beer festival in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP PhotoMatthias Schrader)

Even before the official opening by the mayor, the festival grounds were so overcrowded that security guards allowed entry only for people with reservations in one of the beer tents.

Around 6 million visitors from around the world are expected at the festival in Munich before the Oktoberfest ends on Oct. 6. As in previous years, backpacks and large bags are banned for security reasons.

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado in a private audience at the Vatican on Monday.

The meeting, which hadn’t been previously included in the list of Leo’s planned appointments, was later listed by the Vatican in its daily bulletin, without adding details.

Machado is touring Europe and the United States after she reemerged in December to accept her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.

Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, has called for Venezuela to remain an independent country after U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his compound in Caracas and flew him to New York to face federal charges of drug-trafficking.

Leo had said he was following the developments in Venezuela with “deep concern,” and urged the protection of human and civil rights in the Latin American country.

Venezuela’s opposition, backed by consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations in the U.S., had vowed for years to immediately replace Maduro with one of their own and restore democracy to the oil-rich country. But U.S. President Donald Trump delivered them a heavy blow by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control.

Meanwhile, most opposition leaders, including Machado, are in exile or prison.

After winning the 2025 Nobel Prize for Peace, Machado said she’d like to give or share it with Trump.

Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after it was announced. Trump has coveted and openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office.

Beer flows as overcrowded Oktoberfest opens in Munich