Thousands of beer lovers descend on Munich for Oktoberfest

Festival goers reach out for the first glasses of beer on day one of the 189th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich (Matthias Schrader/AP)

Thousands of beer lovers have descended on Munich for the start of the world’s largest folk festival.

Mayor Dieter Reiter officially started the 189th Oktoberfest at noon on Saturday when he inserted the tap into the first beer keg.