Backpacks and other large bags will be banned from this year’s Oktoberfest, which is one of the biggest beer festivals in Europe. The event will take place from 17 September and 3 October. Following the recent attacks which rattled Germany, Munich city officials have planned to erect a fence in an effort to increase security. Bags of more than 0.8 gallons in capacity won’t be allowed as declared by deputy mayor Josef Schmid. He added that the Oktoberfest will not become a high-security zone, however, there will be important changes that will affect all guests.
The announcement comes in the context in which Germany has faced lately with several bloody attacks, two of them claimed by ISIS, one being a suicide attack with the author hiding explosives in his backpack. Schmid said that officials had already planned to raise the number of security guards from last year’s 250 to 350 and the number may reach as high as 450 during the peak hours.
A 380-yard fence will be put up to secure a previously open entrance to the festival grounds, Schmid said.
Among the proposed measures, there will be several checks on entry and the possibility that security forces to ban certain people if getting overcrowd. With 6 million visitors, this event will follow new security measures. However, Schmid stressed that there is “no concrete danger” to the Oktoberfest.
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