While last year’s Oktoberfest was mainly cold and rainy, women are now sitting in the crossbowmen’s tent with fans, menus and serviettes are being used for air waving. The face of Wiesnchef and economics officer Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU) turns red. The official Oktoberfest beer mug is presented here, and because the fact itself is about as exciting as a sack of rice in China – the mug is adorned with the official poster motif, which is chosen in February, as every year – there is a small one every year Event takes place, with Oktoberfest landlords and city councillors, with food, drink and entertainment in the form of music and cabaret.
“We’re happy when the Wiesn is warmer than colder,” says host Peter Inselkammer. Today the Oktoberfest landlords would have held a mass in a small circle and lit a candle for a beautiful Oktoberfest. He’s not worried. “Demand is very, very good this year. I think everything has leveled off after the initial difficulties last year. People want to come to the Oktoberfest, even for 18 days.”
Wiesn boss Baumgärtner once again thanks the workers who set up the tents, “outside the whole day and pull up the tarpaulins when it feels like 40 degrees”, and then has a tip for investing his money “where everyone is talking about inflation”: ” The complete Oktoberfest mug series is already worth over 2000 euros.” This year’s motif is the work of Manfred Escher, a graphic designer from Munich. The jug is also available with a pewter lid, which depicts a different local personality every year: this year it’s the former innkeeper Richard Süssmeier, “a real one-of-a-kind who accompanied the Wiesn in a joking, cordial and warm manner,” says Baumgärtner.
City Councilor Roland Hefter (SPD) plays with his band and donates his fee to the association “Ein Herz für Rentner”, just like the cabaret artist invited by the Wiesn boss. “A cabaret artist this year, tried and tested at Oktoberfest and doesn’t mince words,” announces Baumgärtner Monika Gruber. Now it is definitely an announcement to invite Monika Gruber of all people, who in June in Erding had organized a large-scale demonstration against the federal government’s heating law, which Markus Söder (CSU) and Hubert Aiwanger (FW) also used as a stage for polemics, for which they had been heavily criticized and which attracted numerous AfD supporters.
Monika Gruber sings another happy song
A polarizing personality that the economics officer decided on at a city event. Gruber, who finds enough opportunity at the pitcher presentation to etch against her favorite enemy, the Greens, and describes Katharina Schulze as a “permanently grinning Duracell bunny”. “I was afraid that I would be late because of the climate stickers, but they all just flew on vacation!”
About the new Wiesn host Peter Reichelt and his scandals, such as an allegation of a beating at his first Oktoberfest, she says, “I asked Peter how he wanted to deal with the food inspectors this time and he said, oh, we’ll get along fight!” But then it goes on with the etching about vegan white sausages, cargo bike moms, about the working group of the Wiesn city councilor Anja Berger (Greens), who took action against sexist and racist motives on rides. It wouldn’t surprise them, says Gruber, if the Munich Greens received a party donation from the painters’ guild. In general, sexual harassment is bad, but where does it start, where does the Oktoberfest flirting end?
The fact that the pretzels are shown in green on the Oktoberfest mug is probably a case for food control – one can say a lot about the Greens, but no pretzel competence, just as little as they would get baked.
Her Krug speech is rounded off by a touching story about a pensioner at the Wiesn, who orders another beer, who knows whether she will still be there for the next one. “And so we’re looking forward to a peaceful, beautiful Oktoberfest before the Greens realize that beer also contains CO₂, which we idiots still call carbonic acid.” She sings a happy song with a stapler while the invited guests eat Böfflamott and dumplings. If you still dared, you could also order a vegetarian version. However, the rocket salad on it was a bit over salted.