For the second time in a row in Munich on the Theresienwiese in autumn: Corona test tent instead of Wiesn festival tent. And next year the beer could finally flow freely again.
Munich – After two years without an Oktoberfest, it will be again in Munich in 2022: “Ozapft is”. “Next year there will be the real Oktoberfest”, promises the Oktoberfest boss and economic advisor Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU).
“Next year we’ll see you live again at the Oktoberfest.” Plans are underway for this, as Baumgärtner told the German Press Agency. The prerequisite is that there are no federal or state regulations against it. Safety is a top priority.
Baumgärtner says that it tends to be possible that the festival could be celebrated with those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered – possibly with additional tests for both groups, as they could also carry the virus. “What we’re thinking about is 2G and additional tests. Our goal is to make the event safe. We want visitors all over the world to be able to adjust to this – already now. “
This year, the Theresienwiese will remain empty on Saturday for the original Oktoberfest start. Instead of marquee tents there are Corona test tents. An alcohol ban like 2020 should not apply there. There is a significantly high vaccination rate, and he also relies on the common sense of the people. “We have the confidence that those who come to the Oktoberfest anyway will do so in compliance with the hygiene regulations. We have no evidence that a mass phenomenon is taking place, ”says Baumgärtner. The area is a public green area. “Everyone can use them as they want within the framework of the regulations. Beer can also be drunk on the Theresienwiese. “
A “Prosit”, partly with original Oktoberfest beer, which the breweries brewed despite the cancellation of the festival, should be served in Munich restaurants. A good 50 city center and Oktoberfest innkeepers invite you to the Wirtshauswiesn from Saturday for the originally planned Oktoberfest time until October 3rd. The Oktoberfest is not a place or an event, but above all an attitude towards life, they advertise for the pub version.
The former mayor of Munich and ex-tap king Christian Ude (SPD) will tap a barrel in the Schiller Bräu at 12 noon, the landlords say. A nostalgic act: Ude was the first OB at the Oktoberfest in 2005 to tap the 200-liter barrel with just two hits.
The tapping ceremony, with which the incumbent mayor normally opens the festival in the Schottenhamel tent with the cry “Ozapft is”, is now celebrated differently in different restaurants. While the boss of the house and spokesman for the Oktoberfest hosts, Peter Inselkammer, taps the first barrel in the “Platzl”, a few steps further in the Hofbräuhaus, the Oktoberfest playmate 2021 Vanessa Teske swings the mallet.
Fans should also keep up with virtual Oktoberfest tours. It goes online via the Theresienwiese. “It’s a limited experience, but it’s an experience,” says Baumgärtner. “In the second year of the pandemic, the Oktoberfest lives in the hearts of its fans.”
Lufthansa has not forgotten the Oktoberfest either. For a few dozen flights in Germany, Europe and the USA, the costume crew slips into dirndls and lederhosen – as a tribute to the festival.
For the chance of a real Oktoberfest in 2022, Baumgärtner is also leading the International Motor Show (IAA). People would have accepted the measures and uploaded tests or vaccination certificates, for example. “We gained significantly more practical experience of what people can be expected to do and how a major event can be carried out economically, technically and logistically.” However, alcohol was not consumed on a large scale at the IAA;
Keeping your distance is hardly possible in the beer tent with the partying crowds. Wiesn hosts remain reluctant to make statements about an Oktoberfest in 2022 for the time being. Doctors had also recently spoken out cautiously. The pandemic officer of the Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich, Christoph Spinner, said in August that he did not want to make a forecast. The development of the pandemic and of worrying virus variants, the progress of vaccination and many other factors played a role in the risk assessment.
According to the media, Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) said in June that he wanted a Oktoberfest in 2022. A concept should be drawn up with experts. After all, he doesn’t want to unlearn how to tap. dpa
