Munich Welcomes You To The Oktoberfest 2011

 
When summer is drawing to an end, there is comfort for the residents of Munich and their guests: The Oktoberfest will soon begin! This year, it will be the 178. so called 'Wiesn' and the biggest and safest of all times, as festival director Dr. Gabriele Weishäupl emphasizes. Tradition is one of the pillars of the world's best-known funfair and the few innovations allowed are always something special that you can be curious of. That the Oktoberfest is thus always worth a visit is an opinion shared at least by the more than 6 million expected visitors. So from 17. September to 3. October people from all over the world will again flock to Munich's Theresienwiese. Read here, what will await them there.

The first of the good news on the Oktoberfest is that the 'Historic Oktoberfest' that has been held for the first time last year, will become a permanent part of the Wiesn. This will be so except for the years when the Agricultural Fair will take up the southern part of the Theresienwiese. The Historic Oktoberfest's success last year convinced the organizers that this smaller fair with its nostalgic atmosphere which is separated from the rest of the Oktoberfest should establish itself. Especially families will be happy to hear this because this charming part of the fair is smaller, neatly arranged and last not least less expensive than the rest of the Oktoberfest. Despite the 3,- € entrance fee for everybody older than 14 a ride in one of the historic merry-go-rounds costs just 1,- € and is thus far cheaper than one of the carousels on the main part of the fair. This year there will be a musicians' tent on the Historic Wiesn where traditional German folk music will be staged and where an especially brewed beer will be served in steins – Prost!

 

 
This year there will be 172 fun rides present on the Oktoberfest. So if you want to attract the attention of the visitors you need to stick out somehow. That is definitely what the new giant swing called 'Monster' is doing! It swings people up to 40 meters high above the ground and inclines up to 120 degrees. Thrilling moments are also guaranteed in the new rafting attraction 'Rio Rapidos'. Boats are racing down steep canals and make 360 degree-loops. The rafting rides can be watched by passers-by through potholes in the canals – to attract the courageous and to shy away the chickens.

Not only the fun rides like to go up high but the beer tents seem to join this upward trend. Last year, the tent of the Augustiner brewery presented itself with an attached tower. This year, the tower has already 'grown' and now reaches up to a height of 30 meters – so much for attention-getting... The tower serves the brewery for cooling its beer barrels.

 

Special forms of minority protection will show on this year's Oktoberfest. Lovers of champagne will be happy that next to the 'Weinzelt' (wine tent) there will now also be an outdoor bar serving wine, champagne and prosecco. It is called 'Weinlaube' and comes along as a rustic wooden arbor. For smokers, the tents of Armbrustschützen, Augustiner, Fischer Vroni, Hacker, Hippodrom, Käfer, Ochsenbraterei, Schottenhamel, and the wine tent have set up special smoking areas. There will be no catering in these areas, but they will shelter smokers from rain and offer them a free way back into the tent.

All in all, 141 catering services will make sure that not a single one of the more than 6 million visitors will go hungry or thirsty. But as is often the case, the price for beer will go up again. Some tents will charge up to 9,20 € per 'Maß' (1 litre of beer) and even the cheapest 'Maß' will come at a price of 8,70 €.

 

Security is one of the reasons for the rising beer prices because the landlords of the beer tents have to pay their share for the security measures taken. This year, new bollards have been installed which make up the inner of 3 security circles that are erected to keep cars from entering the fairgrounds. This means has cost 3.3 million € and it shows how important security is to the organizers.

 

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