Saturday, September 17, 2022, shortly after nine o'clock: The gates to the Theresienwiese opened and the sun came out. Thousands made their way to the tents, most of them in dirndls or lederhosen - and all in high spirits! It was peaceful and joyful. And everyone had the same thought written all over their faces: "Finally, Wiesn again!"
The Oktoberfest hosts of the large and small tents, the Oktoberfest carnies and many music bands came in a festive procession from Sendlinger Tor to Theresienwiese, led by the Münchner Kindl and the carriages with the Lord Mayor, the mayors and the Wiesn boss. In addition to the magnificently decorated brewery horses, which symbolically brought the beer to the Oktoberfest, there was plenty of traditional music to watch and listen to. Shortly before 12 o'clock, the last carriage stopped in front of the front tent - just in time for tapping!
Whether he had forgotten how to tap beer in his three-year break - that was probably the question most frequently asked of Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter before the 187th Wiesn. He gave the answer confidently at 12 o'clock sharp on Saturday: With three strokes he tapped the first barrel of Wiesn beer in the Schottenhamel festival hall and wished "a peaceful Wiesn!".
Read more about the long-awaited "O'zapft is!" of the Wiesn 2022 here. And if you want to know what happens to the mayor's tapping mallet, you can find out here.
Even though the weather on this first Wiesn weekend was mostly more conducive to leisurely eating and drinking in the small and large festival tents - many Wiesn visitors* did not let the cool weather stop them from trying out the new rides such as "Circus Circus" or the "Balloon Ride" children's carousel, going for a ride on the chain carousel or being taken to great heights, either traditionally leisurely on the Ferris wheel or racy on Bayern Tower, Skyfall or Olympia Looping.
The new tents also got off to a good start: Whether in the Schützenlisl on the Oidn Wiesn, in the small "Münchner Stubn" tent or in the brand-new Bräurosl, guests and hosts were very satisfied.
The Trachten- und Schützenzug always takes place on the first Sunday of the Wiesn: From the Max II Monument to the Theresienwiese, right through Munich's city center. Despite rain and single-digit temperatures, thousands of Munich residents came to watch and lined the streets to wave at the traditional costume groups and music bands from all over the world.
Many old acquaintances were also there: The Munich Moriskentänzer, the Schäffler, the Münchner Kindl Viktoria Ostler and the pageantry of the Munich breweries.
More impressions of the Trachten- und Schützenzug and all the information on how you can be there live next year can be found here.
The festival hosts, market traders, showmen and authorities speak of a "peaceful and relaxed start" on the first weekend. The Department of Labor and Economic Affairs estimates that around 700,000 visitors flocked to the Theresienwiese. In 2019, the figure was around one million. Oktoberfest boss Clemens Baumgärtner: "I am pleased about a pleasant start to the Oktoberfest, to which everyone, showmen, market traders, innkeepers, the city of Munich and of course the guests have made their contribution. For the next two weeks we still wish that Petrus remembers again what decent Oktoberfest weather looks like."
Host spokesman Christian Schottenhamel estimates that as many guests came as at the last Wiesn and speaks of a euphoric mood, because people are happy to be able to celebrate together again at the Oktoberfest. The spokesman for the small Oktoberfest tents, Otto Lindinger, has noticed a clear rejuvenation of the audience. For Yvonne Heckl of the Oidn Wiesn, it was "chill and quiet" there and the guests were blissfully strolling.
When it came to food, the Oktoberfest chicken was again the big seller, but vegetarian dishes were also in demand. Bratwurstl and roasted almonds also went down a treat. Because of the tasty weather, the covered rides such as the Ferris wheel or ghost trains naturally had an advantage on the weekend. The beer gardens were therefore also poorly occupied, which had an effect on beer consumption.
