When Gregor Lemke, chairman and spokesman for the Munich city center hosts, opened the press conference for this year’s Wirtshaus-Wiesn on Tuesday morning, he started with Adam and Eve, that is, with Ludwig and Therese and the story of how the Wiesn was founded. The “Ur-Wiesn” on the occasion of the royal wedding in 1810, at which the bridal couple invited the townspeople to celebrate in the inns, was basically also a tavern Oktoberfest. Already a traditional event, even if the Wirtshaus-Wiesn is only taking place for the third time.
The fact that this year it will take place parallel to the real Oktoberfest was beyond question for the city center and Oktoberfest hosts. “The Wirtshaus-Wiesn is an independent product and since the demand for reservations for the tents is stronger this year than in 2019, it is a good addition,” says Peter Inselkammer, spokesman for the Wiesnwirte.
As in the two previous years, in which the Wirtshaus-Wiesn was launched as a corona evasive maneuver, from September 17th to October 3rd there will be live music and Oktoberfest delicacies from 50 participating, festively decorated downtown bars Chicken to Haxn, gingerbread hearts and of course the seasonal Oktoberfest beer. The latter has already been brewed, one less thing to worry about in times of gas shortages, Schottenhamel jokes. When it comes to beer prices, however, he remains serious: For the Wiesn, the mass price “of course had to be adjusted a bit”, but at the Wirtshaus-Wiesn the usual beer prices apply, depending on the inn.
New additions for this year’s Wirtshaus-Wiesn are two sponsoring partners: the BMW branch in Munich, represented at the conference by branch manager Bernd Döpke, and the Munich Brewery Association, which sponsored the Wirtshaus-Wiesn-Krug. Compared to the official steins of the Wiesn and Wiesnwirte, it is manageable in size and design: a half liter instead of a liter, designed by graphic designer Manuela Zumbansen with sights from the Munich skyline and the logos of the six Oktoberfest beer breweries.
There are enough service and security staff, say the Oktoberfest hosts
The city and the organizers confirm that despite twice the fun at the Wiesn and a general shortage of staff, there will be enough service and security personnel on duty. The security company Securitas commissioned by the city and also the Oktoberfest landlords have ensured sufficient security personnel, says Susanne Mühlbauer from the Department for Labor and Economics. “The time after the Wiesn is exciting, when employees have to be sent on vacation because of accumulated overtime, while the calendar of events is still full of catching up dates,” Mühlbauer continues.
When it comes to service staff, the city-centre innkeepers rely on their regular staff, who were not additionally increased for the Wirtshaus-Wiesn, reports Lemke. Inselkammer adds that the staff for the large Wiesn is “98 percent set”. For his companies, the double Wiesn is not an additional burden, in the service only individual cases migrated to the tents and the rest tended to come from abroad.
Then Lemke interrupts, the two restaurateurs are expected in front of the door on the Opernplatz, where a BMW with the Wirtshaus-Wiesn logo is parked. “Mr. Döpke wants to show us the car,” Lemke urges with mischievous anticipation before the innkeepers in the back seat disappear. Who was looking for and found whom when looking for a partner?