The longing of the Wiesn boss: "There's nothing I do not miss!"

2019: Wiesn boss premiere, 2020: Longing

In 2019, Clemens Baumgärtner, head of department for labor and economics, had his premiere as head of the Oktoberfest - and in these 16 days he established the term "Gesamtkunstwerk" for the Munich Oktoberfest.

As successful as the Oktoberfest was in 2019 - a peaceful and relaxed festival - one year later Baumgärtner looks longingly towards the Theresienwiese.

"The first thing you miss as a Wiesn boss is of course the tapping day. The ride in the carriage, when the carriages line up, and of course a little nervousness: Will everything work out, are all carriages in the right position, do you leave in time? Is it raining? Do you arrive wet as a sponge or do you stay dry? These little things are the beginning of missing ..."

The Wiesn as a "work of art“

On the way to the Theresienwiese the missing goes then into the second phase: "When you drive to the Theresienwiese: the smells, the almond burners, the grilled fish and also the beer tents and their smell. The mixture of the smells, that's one part of it. The other part is the acoustics you have at the Wiesn - something very special, too. This is something unique to the Wiesn, something you won't find at any other festival. I always like to say: The Wiesn is a total work of art."

But he especially misses the exchange with the people he normally meets at the Wiesn, whether they are colleagues, friends or the people who work at the Oktoberfest like the landlords, the waiters, the showmen and stall operators. "Just to say hello, eye to eye, shake hands, sit at the table and talk to each other - about the weather, but also about many other topics."

Costume parade, brass concert, traditions

Sometimes, what's important becomes especially clear when it's missing. The dates of the Wiesn such as the traditional costume parade, the brass concert on the middle Sunday of the Wiesn or other traditional events such as "Schuhplattler" and "Goaßlschnoizer" that take place in the tents: Clemens Baumgärtner believes that they are an elementary part of the Oktoberfest and make it a unique, unmistakable folk festival with all its modernity and size, where real tradition is still lived.

Positive stress and veggie food

Aren't there any things that Clemens Baumgärtner likes to do without in 2020, the year without Oktoberfest? There is indeed nothing that he does not miss about the Wiesn, he says somewhat wistfully: "There is nothing that is connected with the Wiesn in a negative way. I even do miss the stress a little bit, because at the Wiesn it is a positive stress, just like here at work".

And then there's the Wiesn cuisine, which is so varied and has such a wide range of high quality dishes that you can eat a wonderfully healthy diet if you want to: "Last year I tried the vegetarian menu, and it tasted really good - and did good!