After two years of the pandemic, Munich’s mayor seems to have gotten a little rusty in the end: Dieter Reiter needed three hits this year. That used to be better. In the pre-Corona times, he still made it with two. With this little stutter, the 187th Oktoberfest started at 12 noon sharp. Finally, say Wiesn fans.
The Oktoberfest is under bad omens this year: Pandemic, inflation, Ukraine war, energy crisis – and then the bad weather on the first day: early in the morning, people in dirndl and lederhosen were on their way to the festival site. With temperatures around nine degrees, long queues formed at the entrances to the festival site, which were still closed. Some people have been standing here since five o’clock in the morning.
When the innkeepers drove to the festival site in their festively decorated wagons and brewery teams in the morning, hundreds lined the streets of downtown Munich. When the Wiesn landlords moved in on Schwanthalerstraße, the spectators apparently followed the advice of the German Weather Service and wore jackets and long trousers instead of short traditional costumes. You can also tell from the people on the floats that it’s cold. In the past Oktoberfest years, there was more waving and swaying. A musician in a marching band calls loudly for schnapps when the train stops briefly. He doesn’t get one, but soon it’s going into the warm tent.
No beer until the OB has tapped
Meanwhile, the motto in the festival tents is: Waiting for the mayor. There’s Spezi and water, there’s no beer as long as Dieter Reiter hasn’t opened the Oktoberfest. On the benches in the Schottenhamel tent you can already see one or two tired faces later in the morning. A group of friends reported that they had been waiting since 6:30 a.m. Helen Hedenstrand came all the way from the Netherlands, other friends of hers from Sweden or the USA. “Everybody was pushing and running,” says Hedenstrand when she reports about running into the tent.
Because when the festival grounds opened shortly after 9 a.m., there was no stopping them: Thousands ran through the main entrance on their way to the next festival tent to get one of the coveted seats. Hardly any of the predominantly young visitors wore corona protective masks.
Shortly before the tapping, the rain on the Theresienwiese becomes even heavier. People continue to stream towards the tent entrances. A few minutes before twelve, the two main protagonists arrive in the Schottenhamel marquee, Dieter Reiter, who is to tap as mayor, and Markus Söder, who as Prime Minister gets the first mass.
And then Söder becomes fundamental
And then Söder, apparently already in campaign mode for the state elections, starts again with the basics and lets loose a little political saying shortly before the tapping – after all, all cameras are pointed at him at this moment: “Everyone should wear what they want at this Oktoberfest , everyone should eat what they want, and if the band plays a song that not everyone likes, then everyone should be able to sing what they want.” Söder alludes to the debate about the sexist song Layla.
The waiting crowd applauds the prime minister for his alleged “Liberalitas Bavariae,” as the moderator of the tapping, Michael Sporer, calls it. Munich Mayor Katrin Habenschaden (Greens), who was in the tap box for the first time, only has a tired “Yes, my friend” for Söder: “In my opinion, the comment would not have been needed. But to be honest, the whole discussion is a touch to me anyway too stupid.”
Up on the celebrity grandstand, the guests of honor from the state parliament Greens roll their eyes. The Free Voters sit not far away. Her boss Hubert Aiwanger also has a message: “It’s great that we can celebrate an Oktoberfest again after this long time! And to all those who complain about the electricity and gas consumption here: If everyone stayed at home and what would heat up would certainly not use less energy!”
The marquee is now on the beer benches to see how many punches the mayor needs: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s two or three,” joked the Prime Minister. The tent starts counting down. At 12 o’clock sharp, Reiter starts, one punch, spellbound looks, a second punch, beer squirts – it’s not enough. The third hit, the beer flows.
The rest is routine: Reiter gives the first measure to the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), who is traditionally present in the tap box. Gun shots announced the start of the 187th Oktoberfest, Reiter and Söder toast to a peaceful Oktoberfest. Later, at the table in the gallery with Reiter, Söder patronizes Reiter: “Wiesn is a time of political peace. He did a good job tapping it.”
Lauterbach calls for caution at the Wiesn
Even if you can celebrate without conditions – the risk of corona has not been banned. The authorities warned visitors to take a test if they had cold symptoms and not to come to the festival sick to protect others. Doctors expect a corona wave after the Wiesn – like after other folk festivals.
Federal Health Minister Karl-Lauterbach called for caution at the start of the Oktoberfest. “I don’t want to be a spoilsport: But anyone who visits the Wiesn should still be careful. Those who are already ill should definitely not visit. And everyone else should be tested before visiting a tent out of consideration for others,” said the SPD politician on Saturday. The fact that the giant folk festival is taking place again is justifiable. “The willingness to vaccinate, the understanding of the measures, the caution of the population make it possible.”