sixteen individuals misplace their leather trousers during Wiesn
The Oktoberfest is drawing to a close, and so is the Wiesn-Fundbureau's assessment. This time, no visitors misplaced their dentures, but more than a dozen mistakenly left their Lederhosen behind. The data from the Wiesn-Fundbureau shows that 3500 items were lost, including 16 pairs of Lederhosen and numerous women's shoes. The recovered women's footwear hints that some festival-goers may have switched to the flip-flops offered as souvenirs, as per the festival management's suggestion. The fate of the Lederhosen remains a mystery - did their owners switch to casual clothes they brought along, or did they intend to keep the Lederhosen as keepsakes? Also missing were lightweight handcuffs and five wedding rings, with three of the rings ultimately being found again.
No false teeth were turned in at the Wiesn-Fundbureau this year - usually, at least one guest would leave the festival without their dentures. Instead, a dental mouthguard was handed in this year. The presence of traditional hats, as noted by souvenir vendors, was reflected in the unusually high number of hats turned in. As usual, hundreds of wallets, IDs, phones, bank cards, and keys were left behind, as well as several dozen umbrellas, a common occurrence due to the wet weather in the second week.
Police: Fewer Incidents
The Oktoberfest welcomed around 6.7 million people this year, as estimated by the festival management. Despite the partly wet and cool weather during the second half of the festival, spirits remained high. People enjoyed the grounds, tents, beer gardens, and streets at a leisurely pace. Despite the large crowd, fewer criminal incidents were reported, and the Wiesn medical service saw fewer patients.
"The Oktoberfest was particularly enjoyable this year," stated festival director Clemens Baumgaertner of the CSU. The security measures, supported by police and fire services, proved to be effective. He hopes for this trend to continue. Many visitors hailed from overseas, including the USA and Italy, as well as Britain, Austria, Poland, France, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, and, for the first time, India. The majority of these guests wore Lederhosen and Dirndls. More guests opted for high-quality versions of these traditional outfits to fully embrace the "Oktoberfest experience," as the festival management described.
"It was a peaceful Oktoberfest. And it was a safe Oktoberfest," concluded the police. The security measures and appeals of the authorities had been heeded, and guests expressed attentiveness towards each other, proudly recognized by the police press spokesman Andreas Franken. The number of criminal incidents decreased by approximately 25 percent. There were 219 cases of physical harm (222 last year), among which 29 involved a beer mug. There were 2 rapes (2023: 6) and 158 thefts (188).
In contrast to previous years, no lost dentures were reported to the Wiesn-Fundbureau from Bavaria during this year's Oktoberfest, indicating a shift in festival-goers' habits. Interestingly, a dental mouthguard was found instead, suggesting a possible increase in safety awareness among attendees.
Despite the drop in criminal incidents, the police in Bavaria still handled 158 theft cases during the festival, highlighting the importance of vigilance even in such celebratory events.
