The Wiesn 2023 - airy, loose, casual

Food and drink

The trend toward quality enjoyment continued right to the end. An increase of around 15 percent in food was reported by the small tents and the large Wiesn innkeepers. For many, classic Bavarian specialties are part and parcel of a visit to the Wiesn. The unbeaten bestseller was the chicken. The catering trade at the Oktoberfest also follows the social trend toward organic food, regional products, and vegetarian and vegan delicacies, and offers a wide range of choices. This means that all customer wishes could be fulfilled. Demand has leveled off. According to the breweries, Oktoberfest guests drank a total of 6.5 million liters of beer (2019: 7.3 million). The warm temperatures ensured an increase of around 50 percent in the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages. Guests relied primarily on water, which at times ran out in various tents. The tents were well filled, but not overcrowded, and the mood was party relaxed. The strongest days were the middle and the last Wiesn Saturday.

Official booking and resale portal

For the first time this year, there were online portals of the hosts where unused reservations could be exchanged or purchased at the original price. This transaction processing ensured a safe purchase and protected against extortionate prices charged on the black market. 21 medium-sized and large gastronomic businesses had chosen the Oktoberfest-Booking.com portal as their solution. The platform reported an average of 80,000 page views per day, with a peak of 100,000 views. Around 390 transactions were processed. Reservations for 440 tables for ten people each changed hands. Most tables were sold after a maximum of 12 minutes.

Street vending

In street vending, too, water was the absolute hit among soft drinks in the summer temperatures. While ice cream and glazed fruits were in particularly high demand during the day, in the evening the desire for sweets such as roasted almonds or stomach bread also increased. Street vendors were particularly fond of bratwursts.

Give me the jugs 

The attentive stewards took 115,600 beer steins (2022: 137,790, 2019: 107,880) from souvenir hunters at the exits of the tents and the festival grounds (extrapolation until the end of the Wiesn).

Showmanship

The operators of the fairground rides were extremely satisfied and pleased with the fantastic strolling fair, which brought their businesses very good attendance. Particularly in demand were, among other things, stores that provided a good wind and thus cooling. The operators of the children's rides were delighted with the crowds of families with children, especially on family days and Sundays.

Souvenirs

For the souvenir stands, the constant movement on the fairgrounds was an advantage: every guest also strolled past at least one souvenir stand. Among the souvenirs, the chicken hat went through the roof and was already sold out in some places on October 2. Very popular were small souvenirs, pins and refrigerator magnets. Among the balloons, the Barbie balloons were the hit, at least among the girls.

Official Wiesn souvenirs and information booths by Munich Tourism

For the first time, there were three information booths of München Tourismus. Local visitors were primarily interested in the location of the drinking fountains or individual stands, while guests from abroad asked whether they needed an admission ticket to visit the tent, where they could change money and how best to get from point A to point B. In addition to German guests, there were also visitors from the USA and Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil and France. The official Wiesn souvenirs sold very well.

The Wiesn hit - From Sanremo to the Wiesn

"Sara perché ti amo" - an Italo classic conquered the Wiesn in 2023. The song was written by the Italian band "Ricchi e Poveri" in 1981.

From the authorities' yard

Security is an absolute quality feature of the Wiesn. The police, fire department, ambulance station and all other authorities involved praised the excellent cooperation and security partnership with the private security companies as well as the "Safe Wiesn for Girls* and Women*" campaign, which offers the "Safe Space" in the Service Center.

Police

The police speak of a predominantly harmonious Wiesn. (Oral report)

Fire Department

The fire department was very satisfied with the course of the festival (Oral report)

Ambulance station

The Aicher Ambulance speaks of a quiet course. The deployment numbers are at a similar level as in 2019, despite the two additional days. Particularly pleasing is the drop in the number of underage drunk, which has been cut in half. (Oral Report)

Youth Protection

Youth Protection handled a total of 16 intoxicated youth through October 1 and conducted five counseling sessions with youth and their parents. Seven lost children were attended to and nearly 100 parents were made aware of the ban on strollers after 6 p.m. The breastfeeding and diaper-changing room was very busy.

Lost and found

The Wiesn lost-and-found office counted around 3,250 items, about 250 fewer than last year. These included 640 wallets, 580 items of clothing, 520 ID cards, 400 cell phones/smartphones, 380 bank cards, 200 keys, 310 pairs of glasses/sunglasses, 120 bags, backpacks and pouches, 40 umbrellas and 60 pieces of jewelry. Around 800 items of lost property were handed over during the Wiesn. Always exciting: Did the owner of the oatmeal shoes or the owner of the red high heels go home barefoot? The greatest demand was for lost cell phones and smartphones. Often, a person's entire life is stored on them.

Electricity, gas, water

Electricity consumption of around 2.8 million kilowatt hours was 12 percent lower than in 2022 when converted to 18 days. Water consumption of 84,500 cubic meters was around 7.2 percent higher than in 2022 when converted to the same period.Around 100,000 measures of water were dispensed at the five drinking water wells. Gas consumption of 138,340 cubic meters converted to 18 days was about 6.5 percent higher than in 2022, with heating gas added in 2023 because all garden heaters were installed again. This resulted in the increase, although heating gas was used less and cooking gas less. The Munich Stubn dispensed with gas altogether.

KVR - Food monitoring

The food monitoring department carried out a total of 1360 operational inspections in 393 establishments. The food establishments were inspected several times a day for proper operational, product and personnel hygiene as well as labeling. There were also early inspections of the proper delivery of goods (functional refrigeration and cleanliness). Deficiencies in operational and product hygiene as well as in the company's own controls were remedied immediately. Samples of foodstuffs and consumer goods were taken. Complaints received were investigated immediately and the reported deficiencies rectified without delay. The district administration department responsible for this area reports that a very high standard of hygiene has been established at the Wiesn.

Health Department

The Health Department was very satisfied with drinking water hygiene, jug washing hygiene and hygiene in public areas. This continued the successful trend of previous years. The approximately 105 samples taken from the drinking fountains were consistently unremarkable and confirmed the impeccable quality of the water.

TÜV

The TÜV speaks of an overall quiet Wiesn comparable to 2019. The investigation into the Höllenblitz ride has been completed. After a further inspection, the ride was able to resume operation.

Waste Management Office

A total of 848,745 kilograms of waste were removed in the period from August 28 to October 1. This included 712,330 kilograms of residual waste for disposal, 5,780 kilograms of residual waste for energy recovery, 77,380 kilograms of paper, cardboard and cardboard packaging and 53,255 kilograms of mixed broken glass. From October 4, a recycling center will be set up for the first time at Theresienwiese to dispose of the waste fractions residual waste, PPK (paper, cardboard, cardboard packaging), bulky waste, scrap iron and electrical appliances.

Street cleaning

The Oktoberfest 2023 once again required an extensive effort by the street cleaning department of the construction division. In addition to the special shifts during the procession of the Oktoberfest hosts and the traditional costume parade, there was a great deal of activity every night from around 2 a.m. onward. By 8 a.m. on the dot, the entire festival grounds were once again in perfect condition. This year, a total of 91 tons of trash (2022: 88 tons) was swept up and transported away; water consumption to clean up the traffic areas on the festival grounds totaled around 1,850 cubic meters. Up to 30 employees and a large contingent of technical equipment were deployed each night.
Following the festival area, the street surroundings were cleaned daily. Around 66 tons of trash (2022: 66 tons) was generated here. During the day, an electric vehicle and a small sweeper were also used on the festival site, as far as the flow of visitors allowed.

MVG

MVG reports significantly higher passenger numbers. Passengers were in an exceptionally good mood. Due to the large crowds at the evening departure, the stations Theresienwiese and Goetheplatz had to be closed again and again for short periods.

Committed efforts by all involved

All the departments in the service center put in a great effort this year. The festival management would like to thank all colleagues as well as all Wiesn visitors for the smooth and excellent cooperation!