Beer lovers have been given the sobering news that this year's Oktoberfest in Munich has been cancelled as Germany tries to avoid a relapse in the number of coronavirus cases.

Authorities in the state of Bavaria called it a 'huge shame' that the annual festival, which sees around six million visitors each year, could not go ahead.

"We have decided the risk is simply too great," state premier Markus Soeder told reporters. 

"It hurts, it is a huge shame," he added.

Jam-packed tents are usually filled with around two million revellers from around the globe donning lederhosen, gulping beer, guzzling sausages and partying through the night.

It is also a huge boost for the city's economy, bringing in more than 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion).

The bad news for folk and frivolity fans comes just a day after Germany began to loosen some of its lockdown measures, including opening a number of shops.

Chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement on Monday, but urged the country to 'not lose track of the fact that we continue to be at the start of this pandemic and are far from out of the woods'.