In Munich, excitement for the Oktoberfest builds up as the rooftops of the beer tents rise and the towering frames of the big rides take shape. However, during the set-up phase, access to the site is strictly prohibited – unless you join an exclusive guided tour. A glimpse into Munich's most exciting construction site.
Any Munich resident who has ever shown friends around their first Oktoberfest knows that the term “beer tent“ can be misleading. Technically speaking, it is correct – after all, beer is served in a tent. But then, there is often one monumental misunderstanding. Because, contrary to what some guests may assume, this is not just a collection of small white pop-up tents, as we know them from garden parties. Instead, they are grand festival halls with galleries and balconies, meticulously decorated and designed to cater for thousands of celebrants with drinks, food and a festive cheer.
The fact that these high-performance structures – along with sky-high rides and countless stalls – only exist temporarily amazes both locals and visitors anew every year. Even Stephanie Zimmermann sometimes finds it hard to believe when she guides visitors around the festival site. The 47-year-old is currently standing in the kitchen of the Löwenbräu beer tent – or rather, where the kitchen will soon be. “This looked completely different a week ago,“ she says, glancing toward the centre of the tent, where the skeletal structure of the stage for the band is already taking shape. Dressed in a blue floral dress, a yellow safety vest and a white hard hat, Stephanie knows the Oktoberfest like few others: Since, as a native of Munich, she has been coming to the festival since she was a child. And, because now, as an official city guide, she leads visitors around the grounds.
Stephanie offers interested visitors rare insights that are otherwise difficult to get. This is because the Oktoberfest fair grounds is actually closed to the public during its set-up phase – it would simply be too dangerous for everyone involved. “It is a gigantic high-speed construction site,” Stephanie explains. In just under three months, 17 large and 21 small festival tents, several massive rides, many smaller ones and countless stalls have to be built. Around 2,000 workers are on the site six days a week, twelve hours a day. “And the closer we get to the tapping of the first barrel, the longer the days become,” says Stephanie. “They end up working around the clock.”
Even dismantling is on a tight schedule, as the next major event, the Tollwood Winter Festival, kicks off at the end of November. To manage such a large-scale project, everything follows a precise timeline: Construction of the large festival tents begins in early July, followed by the medium and small tents. Only after that do the ride operators set up their attractions. If there is still space available just before the start of the festival, smaller stalls may fill the gaps. Should there be a set-up delay in one area, everyone will pitch in to help, Stephanie explains. No one here would ever say: “Ha, ha! We are done and you are not!”
Legend tells that the ´pipelines´ that people talk about are supposed to connect Munich's breweries underground with the beer tents on the Theresienwiese.
The small group now gathers around Stephanie in front of the construction site, which will soon become the Augustiner festival tent. The beer barrel storage – a 30-meter-high tower visible from afar – is already in place. It is a special feature at the Oktoberfest, Stephanie explains, because it actually holds some of the wooden barrels that are used to supply the tent with beer.
All the other tents have long since switched to advanced tank systems. “The beer must be perfectly chilled, not foam too much and must come out at the right pressure – otherwise, you can’t pour the Mass (1 litre of beer) in three seconds,” says Stephanie. One tour participant asks, “So, the beer pipelines don't really exist?” Stephanie smiles, visibly amused by the question. “That rumor is surprisingly persistent,“ she says. According to the legend, these pipes connect the Munich breweries underground with the beer tents on the Theresienwiese. Stephanie seems to enjoy the question – it's clear that the group shares a genuine enthusiasm for the Oktoberfest, with some participants even returning for the second year in a row.
Stephanie adds: “If you love the Oktoberfest, you should experience the setup process at least once. It makes you appreciate it in a whole new way.” Her enthusiasm is contagious. As the tour continues, the participants start perceiving the construction site as a giant puzzle. Everywhere you look, there are markings and spray-painted notes like “Hofbräu kitchen left,” “Schütze electrical,” or “front right of the tent“. Still, setting up the tent is not an easy task: Each beer tent consists of 1.6 million individual parts, the delivery of which requires around 100 truckloads.
What makes things a bit easier for the festival tent operators is that the large and medium-sized tents are set up in the same spot every year. The utility connections, which are laid about a metre deep, remain in place and the basic positioning of the tent elements doesn’t change much. This also applies to other parts of the infrastructure, such as the light masts, Stephanie explains, pointing toward one. “Every year, they try to improve sustainability.” That’s why they switched to LED lighting this year. There will be no hot water for washing dishes in the foreseeable future. “The energy required would go beyond any limits”, Stephanie explains. However, nobody has to worry about hygiene – hardly anywhere is cleanliness monitored as strictly as at the Oktoberfest.
That also applies to safety: Ultimately, it's not the site management or festival tent operators who approve the tents – it's the fire department. “If a space is just ten centimetres too narrow, they'll move a wall if necessary,” says Stephanie. In 2018, for example, the Alpina Bahn – the largest portable roller coaster in the world – had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt, because its ticket booth was positioned incorrectly on an emergency access route.
At the end of the tour, the group heads back to the northern main entrance. Finally, there is one last question: What is Oktoberfest insider Stephanie most looking forward to this year? “I love coming to the festival grounds early in the morning when everything is still quiet,” she says. “I grab a Schmalznudel (sweet yeast dumpling) and a coffee and imagine how different everything will look in just an hour.” The only downside? This privilege is reserved for those with a special access pass that grants them entry to the grounds before the official opening hours. But before any disappointment sets in, Stephanie gives the group one last, fantastic tip: During the Oktoberfest, the nearby Paulskirche (church) opens its 97-meter-high main tower. “You have the best view of the Wiesn from there.”
