KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — The annual beer festival Oktoberfest can be held as long as organisers apply for a permit with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and adhere to the guidelines set by the local council.

Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said the guidelines include holding the function in a controlled area and to ensure that Muslims do not attend the festival.

"If they want to organise the event, they must make an application first. And if they have made an application, then they would need to abide by the set guidelines.

"But first and foremost, we will first verify any news of such events to be held. We will meet with the operators and verify whether it is true,” he told a press conference when asked about two separate beer festivals to be held in Kepong and another at the Mid Valley Megamall here.

Meanwhile, new Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said DBKL had yet to receive any Oktoberfest-related applications.

"We will ensure that any organisers that want to hold the event must apply for a permit, even shops.

"So far, we have not received any applications in conjunction with the festival,” he said.

Last September, the annual Better Beer Festival, which had been held for five consecutive years, was cancelled after DBKL rejected the organisers’ application to hold the event, which would have been Malaysia’s largest craft beer festival.