Maria Höfl-Riesch sums it up: “At first you think: ‘It’s really never been this full!’ But once you’re inside, you realize: ‘It’s like every year.'” Nobody will contradict Germany’s most successful skier of the 2010s, although being included in the Almabtrieb in the Käfer tent is already taking a while this year. So long that the host, Michael Käfer, at the end of the entrance stairs, shows all the signs of dissatisfaction that are visible from afar, when the control of the various access authorizations takes a little longer. After half an hour, however, the first wave of VIPs is in, exactly 998 are on the guest list, says organizer Philip Greffenius – with a thousand it would have been too crowded.
It makes sense that everyone is assigned a seat at the table inside, because the hallways are full of normal tray-carrying madness. If you don’t have eyes in the back, you have to constantly expect to be run over by one of the extremely rabid snack bar or beer mug tractors – ask Philipp Welte: The Burda board member has to take a hearty hit in the head, is a trained daily newspaper journalist but used to grief.
Michael Mittermeier, Peter Olsson and Gudrun Mittermeier celebrate in the Käfer tent.
(Photo: Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty)
Would he have preferred to stay seated, right in front of the entrance, where marketing master Peter Olsson is holding court. Tennis tournament organizer Edwin Weindorfer is sitting there, big baker Heiner Kamps and comedian Michael Mittermeier, who whispers: “They’re always the same people.” Not true, of course, because Olsson’s wife Claudelle Deckert is new to the group. The Bierhoff, Ballack, Becker, Hitzfeld and Tokio Hotel manager Olsson got married a year ago and is still beaming: “Even an old Swedish chicken like me can still find a grain.”
The photo corner outside on the gallery, with the decorative Bavaria in the background, is also easy to find. Everyone makes a stop here: from Victoria Swarovski to Nazan Eckes, Nadeshda Brennicke, Mariella Ahrens, Greenforce boss Thomas Isermann, multi-club owner Christian Haidinger, scooter frontman HP Baxter to Jürgen Höller’s son Alexander and his son, who refuses to wear traditional costumes pink-haired friend Julia Römmelt, the Playboy Playmate 2021.
When Neuer gets up, the group of photographers starts to move
And then there are the footballers. FC Bayern’s Oktoberfest visit was scheduled for noon. There was something to see: Appropriately embarrassed faces at the bosses’ table – something else is currently not conveyable to the fans given their fifth place in the league. But even in the evening, 32 places for the Reds are not only reserved, but also occupied. The fact that David Alaba is also reported is confusing – after all, he has late duty against Atletico Madrid that same evening.
The stars of FC Bayern are also partying: Thomas Müller with his wife Lisa and Matthijs de Ligt with his partner Annekee Molenaar enjoy it in the Wiesn-Schänke.
(Photo: Simon Mellar/Getty/Pool)
While Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, both wearing hats, are fighting side by side at table 207 as well as on the field – this time with a mountain of Lower Bavarian early fattening ducks – the teammates next door at table 199 are having a blast: Alphonso Davies is singing on the Beer bench and wears a chicken hat, Lucas Hernández swings the table lighting to “Sierra Madre” and puts on the lampshade as a little hat. That the band also plays “Waterloo”? No problem! The next game isn’t until Friday and it’s also against Leverkusen – what could possibly go wrong? Augsburg manager Stefan Reuter could say a lot as a freshly crowned Bayern conqueror, but is reluctant to talk about the rush of victory. But he can sing along to Marianne Rosenberg’s “He Belongs to Me,” at least.
You wouldn’t want to swap places with stars like Manuel Neuer on an evening like this. When he gets up from his seat, there is movement in the group of photographers, when he picks up speed in the turmoil, the cameramen also accelerate – do they follow him to the toilet? The research ends here.
Although he is under increased attention at the Wiesn, Manuel Neuer seems unforced.
(Photo: Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty)
Later you meet Neuer again, between Weinzelt and a ride called “Voodoo Jumper”, as an advertising character in front of the goal wall of the “Sportstudio”. Three up, three down, that’s what they say here, four shots are five euros. Whoever scores gets a jersey, from Bayern, Juve or Inter, maybe even kick boots or a plastic ball. They could use someone who hits the spot with the record champions. Was anyone from Bayern there to practice? “Everyone!” says the man at the cash register without grinning. And who was the best? Then he has to laugh when he says: “Ribéry!”