Similarly, a growing number of people in Germany are taking a more conscious approach to drinking. Consuming beer and wine has long been an integral part of culture in the land of Oktoberfest.

In addition to lots of drinking, the festivities also ... or elsewhere in Germany. Other large-scale Oktoberfest celebrations in the U.S. take place each year in Denver and Frankenmuth, Michigan ...

Organizers described the event as a way to enjoy German food, drink and culture as it builds up to Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is now a global phenomenon as well. Not only do visitors come to Munich from all over the world for a chance to drink beer in their traditional German costumes, but communities across ...

Happy Oktoberfest ... for everyone. Germany has a rich brewing tradition, with its roots going back to medieval monasteries where monks brewed beer as a safer alternative to drinking water.

They come to socialize, dance, show off lederhosen and dirndls, applaud performances, eat, shop craft stalls, ride amusement rides, and drink millions of liters of specially brewed Oktoberfest ...

"For people who don't like to drink alcohol and want to enjoy the Oktoberfest as well ... "Die Null," which means "the zero" in German, served non-alcoholic beer, mocktails and other alcohol ...

"According to an old proverb, you have to drink three Seidlas (half ... on the Bavarian capital every year for Oktoberfest, the true centre of German brewing lies in this Unesco-listed medieval ...

Many attendees came dressed in lederhosen or dirndl, traditional German outfits worn at Oktoberfest. However, the centerpiece of the festival was the beer. “I got myself a pint,” said Logan Keller ...

Peppy waltzes and drinking songs pour forth from ... 7 — while others use Oktoberfest as a celebration of other German styles, beyond the usual festbiers in one-liter mugs.