Germany: Oktoberfest wraps in Munich, 7 million liters later
October 6, 2024
The annual Oktoberfest in Munich drew to a close on Sunday with slightly more clement weather, after a rainy Saturday in the Bavarian capital.
Organizers said roughly 6.7 million people had attended in all, consuming a total of roughly 7 million of the trademark 1-liter mugs of beer known as a Maß.
The figure was a slight reduction from 2023's attendance of 7.2 million.
"This year's Oktoberfest was particularly relaxed," Clemens Baumgärtner, Munich city official responsible for the Oktoberfest, said in summation. "Despite the high numbers of visitors, the numbers of crimes and [medical] patients sank. Our security concept worked, with support from police, the fire brigade and our partners."
Baumgärtner was at the center of one of the rarer scenes of disorder over the weekend, too. He provided first aid to a 16-year-old boy who fell unconscious on Saturday after consuming around 6 liters of beer but who recovered after hospital treatment.
Guests from Munich, Bavaria, abroad, and increasingly from India
Event organizers said that, as usual, the majority of visitors hailed from Munich and the surrounding area in Bavaria.
But they noted healthy numbers of tourists and foreign visitors, saying that most hailed from countries like the US, Italy, the UK, Austria, Poland, France, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands "and for the first time increasingly from India."
Meals, not just a Maß or three, increasingly in demand
Organizers reported a year-on-year increase of around 9% in sales of meals in both smaller tents and at the larger venues.
"The undefeated bestseller remains the roast chicken," they said of the Bavarian Hendl dish, which state Premier Markus Söder said earlier in the festival was an almost daily staple for him during Oktoberfest. Söder departed on a trip to Egypt before the festivities in Munich concluded.
Non-alcoholic drinks were also "in high demand as in the previous year," with water, a mix of apple juice and sparkling water, and a mix of cola and orange soda known as a Spezi in German among the most popular.
Non-alcoholic beer made up around 4%-5% of total beer sales.
"The tents were filled, but not overcrowded, the atmosphere was for the most part festive and joyous but relaxed," organizers said, adding that the busiest days were during the three weekends, particularly the Saturdays.
For the second year running, organizers said, all electricity used on site was sourced from renewables.
Steep dip in police and ambulance operations
Munich police reported a roughly 25% reduction in crimes amid the festivities compared to the previous year.
The festival took place amid heightened security this year in the aftermath of a fatal knife attack in Solingen and amid concerns of the potential for politically motivated crimes, partly amid the conflicts in the Middle East.
Local ambulance services similarly said call-outs were down around 29% compared to 2023. Youth services said they only cared for six underage people who had drunk too much alcohol.
No cases of young children being left unattended were reported, organizers praised "attentive" stewards for ensuring clearly drunk parents with very young children reported to youth services to sober up.
Lost Lederhosen, hats ditched for traditional Bavarian headgear?
Some 3,500 items were collected at the event's lost and found this year, with around 800 of them since returned to their owners.
These included the classics, for instance around 700 wallets and 700 items of clothing, 500 ID cards, 315 cellphones, 300 pairs of glasses or sunglasses, 160 bags and 60 umbrellas.
Organizers also listed the "most curious" finds, including 16 sets of Lederhosen, one set of light-duty metal handcuffs, and "various pairs of women's shoes," which they guessed might have been abandoned by women who had bought souvenir branded sandals from the stalls.
"This year's trend of buying [traditional Bavarian fabric hats known as] Trachtenhüte, observed by souvenir traders, was reflected in the high number of items of headgear handed in," organizers said.
Five wedding rings were misplaced; as of Sunday, only three had been reclaimed.
Security guards at the exit also prevented roughly 98,000 cases of people trying to take one extra souvenir — their beer mug — home from the festivities undetected.
msh/sms (AFP, dpa)