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The famous Bavarian festival of beer drinking - the 171st Oktoberfest - is in full swing in the German city of Munich, attracting about a million beer fans over the first weekend.

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The first barrel was opened by Mayor Christian Ude to the cry of "O'zapft is'!" or "the keg is tapped!" on Saturday - and beer will keep flowing until 3 October.

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Thousands took a break from the drinking to watch dances and parades by groups in traditional costumes.

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The festival dates back to 1810, when a five-day celebration was held across Munich to mark a royal wedding.

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But most visitors are interested in the beer. Drinkers are expected to get through more than six million litres - enough to fill six Olympic swimming pools.

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It is not just Germans in lederhosen drinking from the enormous Mass glasses, which hold one litre (1.75 pints) of beer. The festival is a magnet for foreign backpackers.

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If your head is spinning from the beer and oom-pah-pah of Bavarian bands, you can take a ride at the fairground.

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And if you don't fancy a beer, there are plenty of alternatives. As well as candy floss, revellers consumed 11 oxen over the weekend.