Feast - Virtually and real: 'Oktoberfest fever can begin'
The large beer tents are standing up. Oktoberfest beer has been brewed. The places are already well booked: "The Wiesn fever can begin", said festival director Clemens Baumgärtner. With a half dozen new ride and entertainment attractions, new souvenirs and offers for virtual Wiesn visit, the festival presents itself to the guests this year.
On September 21st, it's called "It's tapped" again, six million visitors are expected until October 6th, still considered the largest folk festival in the world. The reservable places, according to the spokesperson Peter Inselkammer, are mostly booked - it's "more crowded" than last year, when the Wiesn lasted for 18 days. However, many places, especially in the afternoon, remain reservation-free.
Who cannot come in person has the chance for the first time: The Munich Inclusion Initiative vr4kids offers especially for disadvantaged and disabled Children and adolescents, as well as other guests, a virtual Wiesn visit. "It's a project that was dear to my heart," said the CSU politician and economic referent Baumgärtner. It puts many people "in a position to enjoy the Wiesn" and "immerse themselves in the world of the Wiesn". In addition, an Online Wiesn game is supposed to be ready in time for the festival, where visitors can visit the festival as avatars with a VR helmet.
New hats and tableware
The Wiesn attracts with fashionable new items. For example, there are new hats with Wiesn logo - perhaps they have what it takes to dethrone the indestructible chicken hat. For men, there are leather wristbands from Lederhosen leather, and women can hang their handbags on a handbag holder with Wiesn emblem. For the first time, Wiesn fans can also enjoy the festival in the kitchen - with Wiesn tableware.
New attractions on the festival include a ride called "Hupferl" from 1987, where ride guests have to hold on to themselves, and the "Holzpfosten Scooter", a classic auto scooter, like the one known from the 60s and 70s. At "Laser-Pix", visitors enter a video game and shoot targets with a small pistol. Also new: a 12D cinema with an immediate "Live there" feeling, the grand carousel "The Grand Carousel" in a style mixture of Baroque, Rococo and Renaissance, and the largest transportable water ride in Europe "Jim & Jasper's Wild Water".
Alcohol-free remains a theme at the Wiesn - although an alcohol-free beer garden, as one recently opened in Munich, is "unimaginable" for the Wiesn hosts. The share of alcohol-free beer in the beverage consumption in his tent is about three to four percent, said spokesperson Christian Schottenhamel - the trend is rising slightly.
The price for a liter of table water exceeds the 10-euro mark for the first time, it costs between 13.60 and 15.30 euros - the beer price is always a sensation. However, there are ten water fountains with free drinking water on the grounds.
For the first time at the Oidn Wiesn, the "Boandlkramerei" Music Tent is present, despite significant, even legal objections. The city granted the tent with dance floor to the Schöniger family for the first time, who run the Herzkasperlzelts in the past years. The Herzkasperlzelts' landlord opposed this decision all the way to the Bavarian Administrative Court - unsuccessfully.
Guests with disabilities will receive individual cards from the large tents this year with indications of barrier-free access, wheelchair-accessible seating, and barrier-free toilets. "You won't find a folk festival in the world that's more accessible than Oktoberfest," Baumgärtner said. "Nevertheless, we won't stand still."
- Clemens Baumgärtner, the festival director, is excited for October Fest as he mentions, "The Wiesn fever can begin."
- At Beeral Alley, visitors can find new souvenirs, including Wiesn tableware, for an immersive Oktoberfest experience at home.
- Tourism in Munich is expected to boom during October Fest, with six million visitors predicted to attend the largest folk festival in the world.
- Children and disadvantaged individuals have the chance to participate in Oktoberfest virtually, thanks to the Munich Inclusion Initiative vr4kids.
- In California State University, students might discuss the cultural significance of Oktoberfest in Bavaria and its impact on Germany's tourism industry.
- Leisure seekers planning a trip to Oktoberfest should be aware of the high prices for water and beer, but take advantage of the free water fountains on the festival grounds.
