The Oktoberfest ABC Lots of beer, no joints - and more security
Final preparations before the start of the festival.
Image: dpa
Brass band in traditional costume. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The Lord Mayor taps the first barrel at Schottenhamel.
Image: dpa
A high police presence is part of the security concept.
Image: dpa
Millions of liters of beer are consumed at the festival every year.
Image: dpa
Video cameras ensure greater security.
Image: dpa
Retractable bollards protect the access roads to the festival grounds.
Image: dpa
The mayor and festival director test a ride before the start.
Image: dpa
A fatal accident at the Olympia Looping overshadowed the construction. (archive photo)
Image: dpa
The Wiesn 2023 attracted a record-breaking 7.2 million guests. (archive photo)
Image: dpa
Brass music is part of the Wiesn.
Image: dpa
Final preparations before the start of the festival.
Image: dpa
Brass band in traditional costume. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The Lord Mayor taps the first barrel at Schottenhamel.
Image: dpa
A high police presence is part of the security concept.
Image: dpa
Millions of liters of beer are consumed at the festival every year.
Image: dpa
Video cameras ensure greater security.
Image: dpa
Retractable bollards protect the access roads to the festival grounds.
Image: dpa
The mayor and festival director test a ride before the start.
Image: dpa
A fatal accident at the Olympia Looping overshadowed the construction. (archive photo)
Image: dpa
The Wiesn 2023 attracted a record-breaking 7.2 million guests. (archive photo)
Image: dpa
Brass music is part of the Wiesn.
Image: dpa
From Saturday, Munich will once again be in a state of emergency: Oktoberfest 2024 opens its doors. It's not just newcomers who have questions: how much does the beer cost, are you allowed to smoke weed, how do you get a table and: Is the Wiesn safe?
The entrances to the Munich Oktoberfest are still closed. On Saturday morning, the first fans will be waiting for the gates to open - and then they'll be sprinting towards the beer tents.
It's "Ozapft is" again at 12.00 noon sharp. Millions of visitors are expected to attend the Wiesn, which is considered the largest folk festival in the world, until October 6.
After the recent suspected Islamist-motivated attacks in Solingen and Munich, the question of security is once again in the spotlight.
What is the security situation at the Wiesn?
First of all: According to Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), there are no concrete indications of a threat. However, the abstract threat posed by Islamist terrorism is high. The security authorities are extremely vigilant and every tip-off is followed up meticulously. There is a sophisticated security concept for the Wiesn: controls at the entrances, a ban on large bags, knives and glass bottles, a high police presence, retractable bollards and concrete flower buckets to prevent car attacks.
As a consequence of recent crimes, the city is tightening its measures. For the first time, around 40 hand-held metal detectors will be used for random checks, as festival director Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU) announced. Around 600 police officers will be on duty. In addition, there will be several thousand stewards, with around 1,200 to 1,500 deployed by the city alone, as well as those of the hosts. Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD), who opens the festival on September 21, emphasized: "We have done what we can do."
Is smoking pot allowed at the Wiesn?
No. Bavaria has banned smoking pot at public festivals and in beer gardens by state law. The federal cannabis law prohibits smoking weed in the immediate vicinity of minors, i.e. at public festivals where children and young people are also present. Showmen had nevertheless complained about a loophole in the law. The Wiesn hosts welcome the strict Bavarian regulation. It brings clarity and saves a possible dispute with guests smoking pot.
How much does the beer cost?
No matter what the price is - there is always a rumble. This year, there was a small outcry: the price of a Mass broke the 15 euro mark. It costs between 13.60 and 15.30 euros. But you get more alcohol for your money with Wiesn beer brewed according to a secret recipe: the alcohol content is around six percent.
So far, the price has not deterred guests: according to statistics from the city of Munich, over 7.4 million liters of beer flowed down thirsty throats in 2023. If you just want to quench your thirst, you don't have to reach deep into your pocket for a Mass. Since last year, free drinking water has been available at fountains on the grounds. Table water in the tent costs an average of over ten euros per liter.
What are the prices for food?
It's getting more expensive here too. One reason is the higher VAT on food in restaurants, which has been raised again since January from seven to 19 percent - the pre-corona pandemic level. "An increase of 15 percent must be assumed; twelve percent is due to the adjustment of VAT to the pre-corona level and three percent to general cost increases," says Co-Wirtesprecher Christian Schottenhamel. He refers to the German government: it has broken its promise to stick to the seven percent VAT on food.
How do you get a place in the beer tent?
The places that can be reserved are practically gone. But the landlords don't give away all the seats. If you are good on your feet, hurry to the tent of your choice at the start of the festival in the morning. An opportunity for last-minute bookers: guests who don't want to keep their reservation can offer it on a swap market.
In this way, the hosts also want to curb the gray market. Guests have to buy vouchers from them, plus a small fee. In the gray market, on the other hand, massive costs are added - and in some cases the seats are not secure. Consumer advocates advise: Hands off.
Which outfit is in?
Dirndl and lederhosen are considered the Wiesn uniform par excellence. Trendy colors for dirndls this year: "Fashionable purple, light mint and sage, royal blue, deep red, pine green and even elegant black," says Axel Munz, Managing Director of the traditional costume chain Angermaier. Dirndl designer Angelika Zwerenz also sees "lavender and lilac" - and has designed "Swiftie dirndls" based on the performance of pop icon Taylor Swift. For men, Munz sees short, handmade lederhosen in stag and buck "with elaborate embroidery, often with a vintage look".
On the way to the festival, stalls offer cheap options - for those who want to slip into dirndls and lederhosen quickly. These outfits have little to do with traditional costumes, which characterize certain places and can cost a four-figure sum. They can be seen at the traditional costume parade on the Sunday after the Wiesn opens.
What's new?
For example: a 12D cinema with a "live there" feeling - three dimensions plus effects such as wind and rain, the operator explained the number of dimensions, which is astonishing even for mathematicians. New among the rides is the wild water ride "Jim & Jasper's Wild Water", where 80,000 liters of water are pumped through every minute - more than beer flows out of the taps in that period. Also: the "Hupferl" from 1987 and the "Holzpfosten Scooter", a bumper car like in the 1960s and 1970s. The "Boandlkramerei" musicians' tent makes its debut at the Oidn Wiesn - after considerable legal wrangling. It replaces the Herzkasperl tent.
Fashionable novelties: Caps with the Wiesn logo - which may have what it takes to replace the indestructible chicken hat. For the first time, fans can also dream of the festival in the kitchen - with Wiesn tea towels.
Steep wall, flea circus: What other attractions are there?
The steep wall riders provide pure thrills. In an arena with vertical walls, the artists race in circles on their motorcycles. There are only a few spectator seats in the flea circus, as the performers are quite small: here, fleas play football or pull a mini carousel. They eat their meals on the director's arm. Traditional Wiesn attractions include the Toboggan slide, the Olympic looping rollercoaster with five rings, the Devil's Wheel and the Krinoline carousel with live music, named after the ladies' hoop skirts. The Varieté Schichtl is legendary, celebrating the program "The decapitation of a living person on an open, brightly lit stage using a guillotine" several times a day - last year it was the 15,000th beheading.
Is corona still an issue?
Probably not - the number of infections, which had risen in the summer, has since fallen. However, the Wiesn remains a virus super-spreader event. The coughing regularly starts a few days after the opening, and doctors' surgeries fill up in and around Munich: Wiesngrippe. In the confines of the tents, colds and coronaviruses have the best conditions. In recent years, there have been short but strong waves of coronavirus in and around Munich during and shortly after the Oktoberfest.
Can you visit the Wiesn virtually?
The Wiesn is now available digitally, and not just for people with a virus phobia. The virtual reality game "Oktoberfest - The Official Game" by Munich studio K5 Factory, where players visit the festival as avatars with VR glasses, will be launched at the start of the festival. The Munich inclusion initiative vr4kids offers a virtual visit to the Oktoberfest with children Felix and Leah. The two of them walk around the Wiesn, ride the Ferris wheel and take their guests with them - disabled or sick children, for example, but also older people who can't make it to the festival. Leah talks in sign language.
How sustainable is the Wiesn?
The festival is not an energy-saving event. Nevertheless, the hosts of the large tents have set themselves the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2028 or even 2026. Last year, they began to calculate theirCO2 consumption. Some of the food waste was measured in order to adjust the food on the plates. Green electricity has been used for a long time and beer mug rinsing water is used for toilets. There are more and more vegetarian and vegan dishes.
The question of whether the Wiesn would only be possible with organic products has so far been dismissed by innkeepers, partly because of the higher prices for guests. Now they want to push the organic issue and are cooperating with organic farmers to this end. The first step is to analyze whether there are sufficient quantities; in subsequent years, more organic products are to be put on the plate. Experiences with organic products vary. "We are entrepreneurs and will always be guided by what the guests want," says restaurant spokesman Peter Inselkammer.
