Oktoberfest tightens security after deadly knife attack in western Germany

The festival's organiser has promised it will be "the safest place in Germany".

Transcript

00:00First time in its history, metal detectors will be used at Oktoberfest, world famous

00:04Bavarian beer festival. Longer lines at entry points expected as 6 million participants

00:09are foreseen and it will be prohibited to bring knives, glass bottles or backpacks.

00:13There is absolute guarantee because of course on the meadows they eat with knives and forks

00:18and then of course it is possible to do that. Nevertheless we have to prevent that someone

00:22brings a knife or any other dangerous object.

00:25Security is tighter in the wake of last month's deadly knife attack in Solingen in western

00:29Germany which left three dead and eight wounded.

00:31The meadows are just as safe or unsafe as the public space, but with the measure that

00:37we have camera surveillance here, that we have access controls here, that there is a

00:40fence around it, that we have several thousand policemen in civilian uniform, several thousand

00:45security forces and I think that already shows that the meadows are a very, very safe public

00:50space.

00:51Oktoberfest had security concerns before and some tight measures were also implemented

00:55in 2016 in response to a series of attacks.

00:58Authorities say there are no specific threats to the world's largest folk festival this

01:02year, but the mood of the country right now is to be better safe than sorry.

01:06The festival begins on Saturday and runs until the 6th of October.