Oktoberfest in Munich is the world’s largest beer festival with attendance of 5.9 million people in 2015, but as Germany has found itself victim to a number of terror attacks in recent weeks, security operations for the 16-day event will be on high alert, and as a safety precaution, there will be a ban on all backpacks.
Munich Deputy Mayor Josef Schmidt said on Wednesday that the Oktoberfest grounds “won’t become a high-security zone, but there will be important changes that affect all guests,” including a ban of bags that are larger than three liters.
The number of security officers will also be increased to 450 during peak times, which is a substantial increase from last year’s 250 officers.
Oktoberfest is set to kick off on September 17 and run through October 3.
