This weekend the time has come: the first open-air club in the city since the beginning of the corona pandemic opens on Maximiliansplatz. Then you can finally dance again in Munich. It was supposed to start last weekend, but then the bad weather thwarted the organizers’ plans. A week and an infection protection regulation later, the open-air club is finally starting. And due to the new requirements of the state government, some things have changed again, explains Tom Hilner, who acts as the organizer’s spokesman.
SZ: Mr. Hilner, on Tuesday Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced the new Corona rules. How closely did you follow the press conference?
Tom Hilner: Very attentive. Although we have not yet officially received the corresponding decision from the city on the new infection control measures ordinance, what Mr Söder said on Tuesday has a very strong impact on us.
In what way?
So far we have planned with a maximum of 400 guests. But if it happens as announced, we could receive up to 1000 people at once. In addition, the mask requirement is most likely not required on the premises. The visitors still have to be vaccinated, recovered or tested, but celebrating without a mask is of course much more fun than with. We are in good spirits that it will all turn out that way.
How surprising were the new regulations for you?
A week ago I didn’t think it would turn out like this. Of course there were a few rumors, but I didn’t realize that it would happen so quickly. A lot of easing was decided almost overnight.
In between it was said that vaccinated and convalescent people also had to be tested before visiting the open-air club. Is it still relevant?
Not in a long time. Originally the idea behind it was that we might then be able to do without the mask requirement. But the city signaled to us pretty quickly that that would not be possible. We then went back to the normal 3G rule.
With many people in Munich, you get the impression that they really missed the celebration. How do you experience that? How high is the demand from you?
The demand for the event is enormous. All the tickets that we put on sale were gone after a very short time. So we are pretty sure that we can fill the area with 1000 people.
A sold out event is certainly also important in order to be able to refinance the event.
It will certainly help us to get some of the costs back. But it was clear to us from the start that we would probably not make a profit from the event. We did this because it is important to us that people can celebrate again. Because what we see is that people are really looking forward to it.
The open-air club will probably not be able to stay open for too long – autumn is just around the corner.
That’s right, time is short when it comes to appointments. That’s why we would have liked to start last week. From our point of view, the opening could have taken place earlier, as it would have been even more worthwhile during the summer. But I am of the opinion that there is no point in complaining. Let’s just look forward to it starting now!
One or the other may have forgotten what to expect in a club during the long break. To freshen up: What can your guests look forward to?
At Bavaria’s first legal open-air party in a year and a half with a wide program – and a wonderful location on Maximiliansplatz, which is made accessible to young people.
It starts on September 3rd, 6 p.m. Afterwards you can dance on the weekends from Thursday to Saturday until 2 a.m. On Thursdays hip-hop is on the program, on Fridays electronic music and on Saturdays club sounds. Admission is free on Thursdays, tickets for the remaining days are available in advance or at the box office.