Matthias Schrader
Rider 'Braeurosl' from the Munich brewery celebrates during the Oktoberfest folklore parade through the city, during the famous Bavarian "Oktoberfest" beer festival in Munich, southern Germany, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. The world's largest beer festival, to be held from Sept. 22 to Oct. 7, 2012 will see some million visitors. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
BERLIN (AP) — This year’s Oktoberfest folk festival has already attracted an estimated 3.6 million visitors, the city of Munich said Sunday.
Officials are expecting a total of about 6 million visitors to celebrate the 16-day extravaganza, now half over, but the beer festival’s start indicates the final number might well be higher.
Visitors at this year’s Oktoberfest, the 179th, mostly came from Germany, neighboring countries, Italy, the U.S., Asia, New Zealand and Australia so far, the city said.