Oktoberfest: City of Munich raises warning for overcrowded Theresienwiese

In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agency dpa for this live blog. Important Updates City lifts warning, still a lot going on The SZ reports on Oktoberfest City warns: Very many people on the grounds Significant increase in visitor numbers at the Wiesn 38-year-old is revived and dies in hospital City lifts warning, still a lot going on The warning not to come to the festival grounds has now been lifted by the city, but it is still full at the Wiesn. Many people are still waiting in vain for admission to the tents and beer gardens. Last Saturday, it seems, many people want to experience the Wiesn madness once again. Jacqueline Lang The SZ reports on Oktoberfest - How to be a waiter newcomer at the Wiesn? This is what our author asked and experienced during shaky days between beer mugs, pretzel baskets, and huge roasted chicken plates. - At Oktoberfest you can find a new love, but also endanger the current relationship. Couple therapist Kathrin Göttler knows what couples should ask each other before – and when one should not confess an affair. - For two weeks, SZ photographer Johannes Simon has been on the Theresienwiese. Naturally, one encounters all sorts of curiosities, but also irritations underneath. The highlights. Sun reappears for the Wiesn finale After the day started cloudy, the sun is now reappearing, just in time for the last reservation change this Saturday. Those who are already in the tent and can watch the hustle and bustle on the festival grounds from one of the balconies are happy. The crowd spotter asks everyone without a reservation to still not wait in front of the tent entrances, as admission is currently not possible. However, this appeal is ignored by many; with their fingers stretched up, they try to show the security to how many they want admission for. The crowd spotter asks everyone without a reservation to still not wait in front of the tent entrances, as admission is currently not possible. However, this appeal is ignored by many; with their fingers stretched up, they try to show the security to how many they want admission for. Jacqueline Lang All entrances open again The festival management reports that all entrances to the grounds are now open again. However, since the next reservation change is just before in the first tents and it is still quite full, they advise people not to come to the Wiesn later if they do not have a reservation. The tents are still closed, and corresponding announcements are still being heard. City warns: Very many people on the grounds Earlier than last Saturday, the city is now warning through its channels. There are very many visitors on the Wiesn, and therefore advises: "Please come at a later time." First announcements are being heard on the festival grounds: Admission to the tents without a reservation is currently not possible. The crowd spotter also asks people over the loudspeakers not to stand in front of the tents. Those who want to loiter should move to Schaustellerstraße. The announcements are first heard in German and English, and then with some delay in Italian. Looking at the people waiting in front of the entrances, however, they do not seem to have much effect so far. The festival management reports that the main entrances are currently closed. "Please use the side entrances." Those who manage to get to Schaustellerstraße from Wirtsbudenstraße, as recommended, still find that the crowd is large only in front of the tents; for example, there is still room for legs before the autorickshaws. The crowd spotter also asks people over the loudspeakers not to stand in front of the tents. Those who want to loiter should move to Schaustellerstraße. The announcements are first heard in German and English, and then with some delay in Italian. Looking at the people waiting in front of the entrances, however, they do not seem to have much effect so far. The festival management reports that the main entrances are currently closed. "Please use the side entrances." Jacqueline Lang Influencer makes racist insult public For two days, a Reel has been circulating on social networks in which an influencer is filmed at Oktoberfest being racially insulted by a man. As several media sources agree, the man is supposed to be a Tyrolean vegetable grower who is also active politically for the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). In the video, the man tells the influencer, who is active on Instagram under the name "c.adaamm", that he is not "at home" in Germany because of his skin color. According to the Tyrolean Daily, the man's behavior is now excused by too much alcohol: this is incompatible with his values, he works with many people from other countries. The association of Tyrolean vegetable growers, to which the man apparently belongs, has published a statement distancing itself from the man's statements in the video, saying they "contradict the values of our association". The video has already received almost 600,000 views on Instagram, and the "Bedienungen gegen rechts" have also drawn attention to the incident. Visitors should use side entrances, not loiter on Wirtsbudenstraße Weekends are traditionally the busiest Wiesn days, and the last Saturday is no exception. The city therefore once again advises through its official social media channels not to loiter on Wirtsbudenstraße today, but rather on Schaustellerstraße, Matthias-Pschorr-Straße, or one of the other side streets. It also appeals to visitors not to use the main entrance but one of the many side entrances to the grounds. And one more thing is important to those responsible: During the reservation change - between 4 and 6 pm - the main entrances of the large tents are generally closed, and without a reservation there is hardly any chance of entry. "Waiting is not worth it." Among other things, the post can be found in three languages on Instagram: German, English, and Italian. And one more thing is important to those responsible: During the reservation change - between 4 and 6 pm - the main entrances of the large tents are generally closed, and without a reservation there is hardly any chance of entry. "Waiting is not worth it." Among other things, the post can be found in three languages on Instagram: German, English, and Italian. Peaceful Friday The afternoon and evening on a Friday are usually periods when it gets particularly busy at the Wiesn and the surrounding area. And of course, yesterday also had a lot of fun for many people - and apparently mostly peacefully. "I have no noteworthy events," says a spokesperson for the Munich police on Saturday morning. The Federal Police, which monitors the situation at the train stations, also has nothing to report that goes beyond trivial matters. And the fire department has also nothing to report. Cloudy but dry: This is the weather forecast for the last festival weekend Visitors to Oktoberfest have been pampered by the weather until now - with sun and mild temperatures. The last Wiesn weekend, however, started cloudy. From the Alpine foothills to northern Swabia, the sky may be overcast for a longer time on the public holiday, reports the German Weather Service (DWD). The maximum temperature will be around 20 degrees, rain is not expected. On Sunday, to conclude Oktoberfest, a calm autumn weather with a mix of sun and clouds and again temperatures up to 23 degrees prevails after a cloudy start. The DWD says it will remain very mild for the season. Clouds over Oktoberfest (Archive photo). Felix Hörhager/dpa Significant increase in visitor numbers at the Wiesn Oktoberfest has been very well attended so far this year. Up to Wednesday, 5.2 million visitors, according to anonymized mobile data, as analyzed by the companies Telefónica and Invenium Data Insights for the German Press Agency (dpa). This means approximately 700,000 more people than in the same period of the previous year. A significant reason is likely the good weather throughout the entire Wiesn period. Visitor numbers have remained largely constant in the last two years. If the numbers are extrapolated, the festival could approach the seven million mark this year. The previous record is 7.2 million visitors in 2023 - although the Wiesn was two days longer then this year. To reach such figures this year, extraordinary visitor numbers would be needed in the last days of the festival. And the weather forecast still promises no or hardly any rain, but it will not be as sunny as it has been most of the time over the weekend. According to Telefónica, the share of international guests is now around 31 percent - six percentage points more than two years ago. The largest group of foreign visitors is Americans - even if they come a little less often. Behind them are Italians - alone on the middle weekend, which is also called the "Italian weekend" in Munich, the analysis counted around 58,000 Wiesn visitors from this country. Overall, the audience this year is somewhat older. The average is 46 years. Those aged 50-59 formed the largest visitor group with around 23 percent share. 18- to 29-year-olds made up 21.5 percent - which was 5.1 percentage points less than two years ago. On average, the people in the analysis remained on the Wiesn for a good five and a half hours. "Solid attendance" - Health service report On Friday evening, the health service published its report for Thursday at Oktoberfest. According to this, 466 patients were cared for, 405 were in treatment, of which 212 had minor problems. The stretchers were used 107 times, and the CT machine twelve times. In total, six people had to be hospitalized for further treatment. "A solid attendance," the Aicher Ambulanz Union reports for this Wiesn day. Many tents closed for reservation change Not surprisingly, the main entrances of most tents are now closed since the reservation change is in full swing. However, there is no excessive crowding for a Friday evening at this time. Jacqueline Lang How Steckerlfisch is prepared Steckerlfisch belongs to the Wiesn. For those who have always wanted to know how it is prepared, it is best to check out Fischer-Vroni: Mackerel, salmon trout, and saury are here, skewered on wooden sticks and cooked diagonally over open wood-coal embers. Dozens of fish are stuck next to each other. If you want not only to look but also to taste, you pay between 4.90 and 6.50 Euros per 100 grams. Jacqueline Lang Gray sky on the last Wiesn Friday As Munich has been pampered by the weather over the past twelve days, this Friday shows: instead of bright blue the sky is gray and cloudy - and although it is certainly not cold, it is a little cooler than the other days. This results in a different mood on the festival grounds - and there seems to be less commotion: You can still get a spot in the beer gardens even in the late afternoon, and servers have time to loiter because they apparently lack customers. But Friday is still young. Jacqueline Lang 51-year-old allegedly hit a woman on the head with a masskrug A 51-year-old allegedly hit a 38-year-old German woman on the head with a masskrug on Thursday evening in the Käfer beer garden. The woman was slightly injured by the blow; she suffered a cut on her head and pain. She was treated by a doctor on site. Previously, according to the police findings, the two had come into physical contact multiple times due to cramped space. From this, a verbal argument apparently developed before the man became physical. Since the American does not have a permanent residence in Germany, he was only released after paying a security deposit of a low five-digit amount. The 51-year-old was charged with dangerous bodily harm. Since the American does not have a permanent residence in Germany, he was only released after paying a security deposit of a low five-digit amount. The 51-year-old was charged with dangerous bodily harm.