Oktoberfest Extension Proposal Faces Opposition from Key Stakeholders
MUNICH, GERMANY – October 4, 2023 – A proposalโ to โextend this year’s Oktoberfest beyond its scheduled closing onโ sunday is meeting resistance from key figures involved in โคtheโ world-famous festival, โeffectively diminishingโฃ its chances. While some have suggested extending โthe event following a Wednesday bomb threat that temporarily halted operations, leading restaurant and hospitality officials, and also a โgovernment minister, have voiced meaningful logistical and operational concerns.
Oktoberfest is widely recognized โฃ”a โworld-famous symbol for Bavarian hospitality, joie de vivre and cohesion.”
Christian Scharpf, Munich‘sโ business officer (SPD) and the “Wiesn boss,” stated, “Inโ my view, a spontaneous Wiesn extension is unrealistic,” explaining that staff across all areas โ- beer tents, showmen, and security โ- are scheduled to depart by Sunday and have subsequent commitments.
Peter Inselkammer, spokesman for the restaurant owners, โwas even more direct, telling Bavarian Radio, “Itโค is indeedโฃ actually not possible at short notice. we can’t imagine thatโค for this year.” He cited existing employment contracts andโฃ employee departures as major obstacles, adding, “We have ongoingโ employment contracts, the employees are usually gone the next day.”โฃ Inselkammer also โquestioned visitor interest, stating, “it is unclear to what extent visitors accept the offer โขand โwould also reserveโค a table on Monday.”
Bavaria‘s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) echoed the skepticism, noting in an interview on bayern 2 that the decision rests with โthe city of Munich and “would not be easy.”
The opposition comes after the festival was temporarily closed Wednesday due to a bomb threat linked to explosionsโค and โขa fire โat a โresidential building in Munich. Operations resumed at 5:30 p.m., but aโ reporter โฃfor โคBR โคobserved a noticeably quieter atmosphere compared toโ a typical โOktoberfest evening, with fewer people on the festival grounds โand the “Oide Wiesn” nearly empty.
The Wednesday closure resulted inโ significant lost sales for showmen, estimated to be in the double-digit millions of euros. While the Oktoberfest has been “very good” lost โฃrevenue โขfrom โขunseated tables โcannot be recovered, according to Dehoga regional manager Thomas Geppert.
As of theโ halfway point ofโ the festival, 3.5 million people had โvisitedโฃ Oktoberfest, โขslightly fewer than the same period last โyear. The overall record stands at 7.2 million visitors. Theโฃ 16-day festival is a โmajor economic driver, generating an estimated โฌ1.48 billion in economic value last year, with an average guest spending around โฌ90 during their visit, plus additional costs like accommodation.
