Munich: Wirtshaus-Wiesn despite high number of infections – Munich

If something completely incredible had occurred to you a year ago, you may have come up with this idea: On the first Saturday of Oktoberfest, a strict ban on alcohol will be imposed on the 42 hectares of Theresienwiese, ordered by the Mayor of Munich himself. At the same time, it forces Munich students to show up at school wearing a mask the following Monday. A compassionate shake of the head would have been the gentlest response.

A year later, this unhealthy vision has become a reality. You cannot consume alcohol on Theresienwiese from 9am to 6am on Sunday morning. Anyone who is surprised there with relevant drinks can pay at least 150 euros, that would be the most expensive Oktoberfest mass of all time. There’s a good reason for the ban: There were rumors of groups agreeing to have a fight drink at Oktoberfest on Saturday.

And then “two individuals”, according to the city, recorded demonstrations on the Theresienwiese on Saturday, once about “our right to an alternative Oktoberfest”, and the other about “preserving tradition and customs.” Incidentally, the Munich Autumn Climate Campaign is also planning a “climate heroes entrance to Oktoberfest”, now the announced portion of “traditional barley juice” must be given up.

As if that weren’t enough, the number of infections spiked just in time for the imaginary start of Oktoberfest, and on Friday for the first time the critical threshold for incidence of 50 in seven days was exceeded: now it is 50.70, it reported. the city at the beginning. Late. First effect: the mask requirement for students is extended. The urban crisis team will advise on new measures on Monday.

The timing couldn’t have been worse to pay tribute to the canceled Oktoberfest. The Munich city center and the Oktoberfest hosts have scheduled this tribute for the next 16 days. It’s called “Wirtshaus-Wiesn” and this Saturday starts with the biggest tap of all time. You can already guess how many strokes you need to do it until you hear the call at twelve o’clock: “Ozapft is!” 108 would be pretty impressive or extremely good, because that would mean that each barrel would have been hit with just two hits. In Wirtshaus-Wiesn, no less than 54 restaurants are used at the same time.

The Wiesnersatz, the Wirtshauswiesn, is now also being discussed

Not everyone thinks this is a good idea anymore, given the increasing number of infections. “Without wanting something bad for gastronomy in Munich,” she wrote on Twitter this Thursday about the leader of the SPD parliamentary group in the city hall, Anne Huebner, “and with much regret my opinion: a pub meadow on Saturday would be a strange

And the joint parent councils of all municipal kindergartens and elementary schools even asked Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD): “Suspend the easing planned for next weekend (Wirtshaus-Wiesn)!” But it is only about the permission to be able to offer drinks without food, and that has nothing to do with the Wirtshaus-Wiesn.

The innkeepers now have their hands full to downplay his action, which was intended to publicize sympathy. “Nothing happens other than what is happening all the time,” says Gregor Lemke of Augustiner Klosterwirt and spokesman for the Munich city center inns, “People eat and drink at the inn. Now there are Oktoberfest delicacies in Oktoberfest menu, beer and proper decor. There are also some musicians playing, and people can come in costume. “

Lemke believes it would be better if people lived out their Oktoberfest longing in pubs under controlled conditions in Corona than out of control in the floodplains of Isar. Peter Inselkammer, spokesman for Oktoberfest restaurateurs, also does not understand the enthusiasm for the Wirtshaus-Wiesn: “So far there have been no major problems with the conditions, why should it be different now? We don’t have a party here, it should be to go comfortably “.

Perhaps that was not fully understood in the advertising for Wirtshaus-Wiesn and many of them envisioned a kind of massive amusement after all, according to the motto: “Oktoberfest is now taking place in the hallway.” The publicity effort was not small either. And on Monday this week, the city center retailers association, the City Partner association, together with the city center owners association and the Munich brewery association, organized the event “Ozapft is!” presented. They want to throw 15,000 vouchers for half a beer among people on Saturday. Anyone who enters participating stores in traditional costume and spends at least € 50 receives one and can then redeem it at the “Wirtshaus-Wiesn”.

Usually less effort goes into cozy gatherings, and individual hosts may have done too much to take advantage of. In any case, Dieter Reiter directed the “rush request” to restaurateurs to strictly adhere to the concepts of protection and hygiene. Violations would be severely punished, on Monday the crisis team would discuss whether bars should close earlier and the number of people at private celebrations would again be limited to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors.

By then, however, the Zapforgie has been run, and in the rest of the Wirtshaus-Wiesn program, not much else happens. Basically it’s a fair grand illusion that maybe it got a little windy around it. In this sense, it doesn’t differ much from the real Oktoberfest, if you’re honest.