Oktoberfest cancelled due to coronavirus

‘We have decided the risk is simply too great. It hurts, it is a huge shame,’ says Bavaria state premier on cancellation

Visitors celebrate in the beer tent 'Hacker-Pschorr - Himmel der Bayern' ('Bavarian heaven') at day 2 of the 2017 Oktoberfest beer festival (Getty Images)

The world’s largest folk festival, Oktoberfest, has been cancelled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, announced the state of Bavaria on Tuesday.

Oktoberfest attracts around six million revellers every year in Munich for the two-week-long festivities, amassing more than €1bn in tourist dollars for the city. This year, the festival was scheduled to take place from 19 September to 4 October.

The cancellation comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Germans not to be complacent as some parts of the country began relaxing lockdown restrictions as virus numbers showed signs of easing.

State premier Markus Söder told journalists: “Based on the current situation, I cannot imagine that such a large event would even be possible at that time.

“We have decided the risk is simply too great. It hurts, it is a huge shame,” he added.

In a tweet, Mr Söder said: "Difficult decision with Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter: The Oktoberfest 2020 must be cancelled. The risk is just too high. You can neither keep your distance there nor wear a face mask.

"Living with Corona means living cautiously until there is a vaccine or medication."

Mr Reiter said he was sorry to disappoint the two million people who travel from overseas for Oktoberfest.

Under the coronavirus lockdown, large events are banned until 31 August. A recent slowdown in the rates of transmission has led to some optimism and some states have allowed shops to reopen.

But Ms Merkel urged Germans to be cautious and remain disciplined to avoid increasing infection rates again, reported Deutsche Welle.

She said at a press briefing in Berlin on Monday: “We stand at the beginning of the pandemic and are still a long way from being out of the woods.”

She added it would be a “crying shame if we were to stumble into a relapse with our eyes wide open”.

According to data from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany has reported 143,457 positive cases of coronavirus, with 4,598 deaths.

Oktoberfest is a celebration that goes back to 1810, first held in honour of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage. The festivities lasted six days, and have since been held for a longer period of time every year and brought forward into September.

Additional reporting by agencies