Musicians at the traditional Oide Wiesn at the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Oktoberfest

Wiesn, I miss you

2020 and 2021, two years in a row without Oktoberfest - that was no problem. Or was it? Our author wrote this article around the same time last year. Let's join him in remembering how much we missed the Wiesn, so that we can look forward to it all the more this year!

It’s actually not just Oktoberfest fanatics who will miss the event, that has been cancelled for the second time this year. Maybe it’s a little bit like having the Alps on the horizon: even if you don’t visit the mountains much, it’s always good to know they are there. And in Munich’s biorhythm, Oktoberfest marks the end of our summer, as it has done year after year. Or to look at it another way, it’s when the city’s unique festival season announces its arrival, accompanied by some unmistakable features:

the sustained high-pressure area that usually moves in so punctually; the wide Wittelsbach sky, and the white clouds that keep the airships flying low and easy to see.

In Munich’s biorhythm, Oktoberfest marks the end of our summer, as it has done year after year.

The faint smell of candy floss and almonds in the air, carried on a breeze that also conveys excited shrieks from the fairground rides far into the city on some days – and which later brings an evening chill that hits after your second al fresco beer, making you grateful you brought your granddad’s cardigan, even though you only intended it as a decorative bit of folksy costume.

These little side-effects and phenomena have become ingrained for Munich locals – as have the pennants on the trams; lost Oktoberfest visitors wandering quiet side streets a long way from the festival grounds; and the sight of strictly sober morning commuters equipped with laptop and lederhosen, expecting to let loose in eight and a half hours’ time. Honestly, even if you never attend Oktoberfest, the trappings of it still create a really special atmosphere in the city.

After all, it’s a two-week period during which everyone between Laim and Bogenhausen feels like our city is throwing a party for the world! It’s true that also this time we won’t miss the overcrowded spaces, the post-Wiesn kerfuffle and the morning mess that follows a night of revelry. But that’s how it’s always been: if you throw a party you have to deal with the cleaning up – and that’s why we only do it once a year.

Now, already for the second time, September here will end just as it does in the rest of the world: quietly, leading us into autumn.

Even hard-nosed Oktoberfest resistors – who are perhaps cheering about this coronavirus-induced break – see these two weeks every year as an important time, as it gives them a reason to get out of the city and take another lovely autumn holiday. Or perhaps they use the opportunity to enjoy wonderful hiking in the mountains, far from the revellers. Maybe it just functions as a reminder to only cross the city by bike and via back roads, until it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief when the last beer has been drunk and the city clean-up is complete – and finally, peace can return. So even just in making this delineation, the festival serves a purpose.

Now, already for the second time, September here will end just as it does in the rest of the world: quietly, leading us into autumn. No airships, no sweet aromas of candy floss or almonds on the air, and no sitting for an hour on the cold steps at the foot of the Bavaria statue on that last weekend, taking in the scene like it’s a living surrealist painting.

It’s funny – you can like the Wiesn and even be a regular, and yet have nothing to do with the steins in the beer tent or the queue for the roller coaster. Over the years, many Munich locals have developed their own little rituals for ensuring they only end up getting the Oktoberfest experience that is essential for them: a peaceful bite of chicken in the morning, a single carousel ride, a stroll through the fairground with granny as you savour a Magenbrot biscuit or, of course, a visit to the Oide Wiesn, where many a squabble has been laid to rest. And perhaps it is also these small rituals that we will miss most this year. After all, the chicken and the fish rolls don’t taste the same anywhere else; they only give up their full flavour in the right setting.

Are there upsides to this break? Well, the Theresienwiese will have the unique chance for some natural renewal. Beer prices won’t go up. We have again a quiet autumn ahead – and the next Wiesn season will be all the more beautiful for it.

 

 

Text: Nansen & Piccard, Photos: Frank Bauer
A man dressed in a traditional costume is celebrating and dancing on a table in a beer tent at the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Which beer tent is the right one for me?

Getting in is tough; but once you’re in, the fun never stops. A brief typology of the different beer tents at Oktoberfest - and the people inside.

Getting in is tough; but once you’re in, the fun never stops. A brief typology of the different beer tents at Oktoberfest - and the people inside.

Swingboat and big wheel at the Oktoberfest in Munich.

The 100 most beautiful Oktoberfest moments

In 2022, after a two-year break due to corona, there will finally be an Oktoberfest again. These are the 100 most beautiful Wiesn moments!

In 2022, after a two-year break due to corona, there will finally be an Oktoberfest again. Let's look forward to the 100 most beautiful moments of the biggest folk festival in the world. Let's go!

Günter Werner sits in a garden near Munich

Let's stick together!

For sixty years Günter Werner has not missed a single day at the Oktoberfest. Yes, you read that right: sixty years! A conversation.

For sixty years Günter Werner has not missed a single day at the Oktoberfest. Yes, you read that right: sixty years! A conversation.

A crispy chicken with pretzel and lemon on a wooden plate in Munich.

Oktoberfest classics: roast chicken

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - such as a roast chicken with potato salad.

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - such as a roast chicken with potato salad.

Loops of the roller coaster in the colors yellow, blue-red and green with writing against the blue sky.

The most beautiful Wiesn stories

The best Wiesn histories are tales of friendship and love, inebriation and generosity. Three fairground operators about their favourite Oktoberfest experiences.

The best Wiesn histories are tales of friendship and love, inebriation and generosity. Fairground operators about their Oktoberfest experiences.

Drummers at the Oktoberfest Costume and Riflemen's Parade in Munich.

Customs are in!

From fresh approaches in fashion to exciting experiments in the kitchen: an overview.

Tradition and customs in Munich are more fashionable than ever before. From fresh approaches in fashion to exciting experiments in the kitchen: an overview.

A homemade gingerbread heart with decoration.

Lebkuchen hearts and roasted almonds

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - this time: a Lebkuchen heart and roasted almonds.

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - this time: a Lebkuchen heart and roasted almonds.

A woman with a girl in the Calypso ride on the Oidn Wiesn in Munich

From Calypso to the Toboggan

You can also have a very leisurely time at the Oktoberfest. We have taken a closer look at the longest standing rides.

You can also have a very leisurely time at the Oktoberfest. We have taken a closer look at the longest standing rides.

A Dampfnudel with vanilla sauce on a dark plate.

Dampfnudel with vanilla sauce

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - this time: a Dampfnudel with vanilla sauce.

Munich chef Sven Christ shows how to make Oktoberfest specialities - this time: a Dampfnudel with vanilla sauce.

“As a young boy, I tasted the froth”

Official guide Rudi Muschler knows a great deal about the secrets of Munich's beer – and what role it plays in the city.

Official guide Rudi Muschler knows a great deal about the secrets of Munich's beer – and what role it plays in the city.

A woman who is wearing a dirndl is smiling at the Oktoberfest in Munich.

Munich’s Dirndl Idol

Tradition or trash? We photographed nine visitors to the Oktoberfest – and asked a panel of experts to judge their traditional outfits.

Tradition or trash? We photographed nine visitors to the Oktoberfest – and asked a panel of experts to judge their traditional outfits.

Munich Card & City Pass

Discover Munich in a relaxed and uncomplicated way: discounts for the diverse range of art, culture and leisure activities with our guest cards.

Public transport is included

Many discounts with the Card, many things for free with the Pass.

Online or at the tourist information offices

Small meeting room of the Neues Rathaus in Munich

New Town Hall Tour

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Book now from 20 €

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Magistrates, Monachia and magnificent celebrations: explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Exterior view of the Hofbräuhaus Munich at dusk.

Hofbräuhaus Tour

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Book for 28€, Mass beer included!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Towers at Marienplatz in Munich

Old Town Tour

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

Book now for 18 €!

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

A man drives his rickshaw and guests through the Olympic Park in Munich.

Pedicab Tour S Olympiapark

Our guide pedals you between the green hills of the Olympic Park and along the Olympic Lake from sports venue to sports venue. The perfect exploration tour!

Book now for only 95 €!

Our guide pedals you between the green hills of the Olympic Park and along the Olympic Lake from sports venue to sports venue. The perfect exploration tour!

A woman with varnished fingernails holds a gift with the inscription "simply Munich".

Vouchers

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

Buy vouchers from 6,50 €

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

Panoramic view of the Neues Rathaus in Munich with the Frauenkirche in the background.

Visit of the New Town Hall Balcony

Join us on the famous balcony of the New Town Hall, where FC Bayern has celebrated a triumph many times - and enjoy the beautiful view over Marienplatz.

Book now for only 6,50 €!

Join us on the famous balcony of the New Town Hall, where FC Bayern has celebrated a triumph many times - and enjoy the beautiful view over Marienplatz.