Each autumn, Munich offers the world a quiet argument for the value of continuity: a mayor raises a mallet, a barrel yields its beer, and a city transforms itself into a living expression of Bavarian heritage. Oktoberfest 2026 opened on Saturday at the Theresienwiese with the ceremonial keg tapping that has anchored the festival since its origins in an 1810 royal wedding, drawing visitors from across the globe into a tradition that has outlasted wars, upheaval, and the relentless pressure of the modern world. In an age that prizes novelty, the festival's enduring power lies precisely in its re