OktoberfestThis is how the weather turns into the final sprint of the Oktoberfest
October 1, 2026, 8:54 am
Will the first rain fall soon? The German Weather Service dares to take a look. A wheelchair user dies after a fall.
All developments in the live blog
In addition to our own research, we use material from the dpa news agency for this live blog.
Important updates
Senior woman dies after falling from wheelchair at Oktoberfest
One in four comes by car - more crowded during the week
These souvenirs are particularly popular at the Oktoberfest this year
Oktoberfest visitor is in a coma after being punched
Seven bar waiters in the Paulaner festival tent quit
Senior woman dies after falling from wheelchair at Oktoberfest
A woman over 90 years old died on Tuesday as a result of injuries she sustained in a tragic accident at the Oidn Wiesn. The Munich woman suffered several fractures all over her body when she fell out of her wheelchair.
This fall had already occurred on Wednesday last week when the woman, accompanied by a carer, wanted to pet a horse in a carriage team in front of a festival tent at the Oidn Wiesn. The horse's harness got caught on her wheelchair. When the horse raised its head, the wheelchair was dislodged and the woman fell to the ground.
After she was helped back into the wheelchair, she initially wanted to continue driving, but her condition deteriorated so rapidly that the medical service was alerted. After an initial examination at the medical station, the woman was immediately taken to a clinic, where she died on Tuesday. The Munich traffic police are now investigating whether there was third-party negligence in this case.
The weather report for the final weekend is positive
So far, Oktoberfest visitors have been very lucky with the weather. Almost every day brought sunshine and the best conditions for strolling across the Theresienwiese. Now the German Weather Service (DWD) is announcing a short rain interlude. Thursday should initially be friendly with temperatures up to 24 degrees. But on Friday the sun will be hidden behind clouds for most of the day. There is a high chance of rain in the morning.
The good news for all Oktoberfest fans: It should stay dry at the weekend - and there will be some sun and temperatures around 20 degrees for the finale on Sunday.
Intangible cultural heritage at the Oktoberfest: traditional theaterschichtl
Have you ever watched someone's head being chopped off at the Oktoberfest? What may sound brutal to those who are ignorant has not only been a tradition at Oktoberfest since 1869, but since this year the cult variety show has even been treated as an intangible cultural heritage, just like the showman culture at folk festivals in Germany in general.
Jacqueline Long
Cozy day strolling at the Oktoberfest
The countdown has begun: 4 more days until the largest folk festival in the world ends. And a few days beforehand, namely at the start of the weekend on Saturday, which is also a public holiday this year, strollers are banned at the Oktoberfest.
But this Wednesday it's no problem to push one across the site, there's enough space on the left and right. But even today, buggies and strollers are only allowed until it gets too crowded, usually until 6 p.m.
Today there is space at the Oktoberfest - so far also for strollers. Jacqueline Long
Man tries to take wallet out of drunk man's pocket - arrest
Pickpocket investigators from Munich and Lisbon noticed a man shortly before midnight on Tuesday at Goetheplatz who was apparently deliberately seeking the proximity of drunk Oktoberfest visitors. A short time later, the investigators observed him reaching into the back pocket of an Oktoberfest visitor who was lying on the ground. However, the suspected thief failed to pull out the 47-year-old Norwegian's wallet. When the suspect tried to leave, he was temporarily arrested.
When searching the 46-year-old Bulgarian, the investigators found not only the debit card of a 48-year-old from Munich but also a large amount of cash. According to previous investigations, the card had been stolen the night before: the owner of the EC card had filed a report and reported that he had met a man in a bar on Schillerstrasse who had bought him a drink. Afterwards he felt dizzy and had no memory of the following twelve hours. When he came to, he found that 5,000 euros had been withdrawn from his debit card. The investigators suspect that he was drugged with knockout drops.
The police are now checking whether there is a connection between the two crimes. Because the Bulgarian has no permanent residence in Germany, he was taken to the Munich police headquarters detention center. An investigating judge should decide on Wednesday whether he will remain in custody.
Drunk people try to break into caravans
On Wednesday night around 1 a.m., three young men tried to break into a caravan that was parked behind a ride in an area not accessible to the public. Unfortunately, there were two people in the caravan at the time who immediately called the police. When the officers arrived, two suspects fled on foot, one hid behind a construction fence and pretended to be asleep. He was arrested as were his two accomplices.
They didn't get far when they escaped, which may have been because they were 1.6 and 1.8 per mille alcoholic. The suspects are three 18-year-olds, two from Munich and one from the Freising district. They were taken to the Wiesnwache and released after police measures. Meanwhile, extensive evidence has been secured on the caravan.
Curious find in the new lost property office
For anyone who has lost something in the past eleven days, first of all a note: the Oktoberfest lost property office has moved. This year you will no longer find it on the festival grounds, but above it in the traffic center of the German Museum at Bavariapark 5.
Is it because of the slightly longer route that fewer lost property has been dropped off there so far this year? Unclear. One thing is certain: in the first week there were 800 lost items, around 40 percent fewer than in the previous year. Many items of clothing, wallets, keys, bags, cell phones, glasses, ID cards, jewelry and hats were given away, but - this is probably due to the good weather - only a single umbrella so far. 260 of the finds have already been returned to their owner. The strangest find to date – a large illustrated book about Tibet – is still looking for a home.
The lost and found office is open daily from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. until Sunday, October 4th. The day after Oktoberfest, October 5th, the lost and found office will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jacqueline Long
High hygiene standards at the Oktoberfest
At least in the first week, food monitoring and the health department had little to complain about. “The food establishments at Oktoberfest consistently demonstrate a high standard of hygiene,” says a press release. In addition, the jug washing hygiene is “at a very high level”. The complaint rate for drinking vessels that had already been cleaned, i.e. a measure, was zero percent out of 110 samples taken. It can continue like this.
A waitress carries beer mugs in the Paulaner festival tent. . Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Underground station insider tip from the Wiesn boss: get off at Schwanthalerhöhe
Most people who arrive by subway still come to the Oktoberfest via the Theresienwiese subway station. “Around 30 percent of passengers used the entrance or exit in the area of St. Paul's Church, while around 70 percent used the main entrance,” says the recently published mid-term balance. At the presentation, Wiesn boss Christian Scharpf gave a tip: If you want to go to one of the large tents, you should go to the Schwanthalerhöhe subway station instead. The crowd there is less crowded and the route to the tents is not far.
Subway passengers walk to the 'Theresienwiese' exit after leaving the subway. dpa
One in four comes by car - more crowded during the week
Oktoberfest and cars don't actually go well together, but more than one in four visitors come to the Oktoberfest using this means of transport, reports the dpa news agency. This was the result of an analysis of anonymized cell phone data by Vodafone. It also shows when the festival becomes full and when it becomes empty again.
According to the mobility analysis, in the period from the first to the second Saturday of the Oktoberfest, 59 percent of the guests came to the Oktoberfest by public transport. Cars come in second with 28 percent, followed by long-distance transport with seven percent and walking and bicycles with five percent.
Even during the week, Oktoberfest was often well filled. The analysis even counted around 600,000 visitors for Friday. “The Oktoberfest is increasingly being celebrated during the week,” says Michael Reinartz, head of innovation at Vodafone. “The number of visitors during the week was almost the same as at the weekend.” Last year the influx of visitors was much more concentrated on the weekends.
It was usually busiest between 4 and 5 p.m. during the week. After 9 p.m. it became emptier. However, many guests don't go straight home. After attending the festival, people often went to other parts of the city. “The Oktoberfest has an impact far beyond the Theresienwiese and ensures additional visitor numbers in numerous parts of the city and the surrounding area of Munich,” says Reinartz.
Strolling on family day in the best Wiesn weather
In recent years, one week was usually nice and sunny, the other was cold and rainy. So far this year the weather has been good almost every day without exception. So good that there are a lot of people strolling around the grounds on Tuesday afternoons - and on Family Day, logically, a lot of parents with their children too.
And the good weather, as the previous record of those responsible and emergency services suggests, also has a positive effect in other ways: people are in a better mood, less aggressive and not only the tents, but also the beer gardens are always well attended. The crowd is therefore better distributed. So, at least as things stand so far - with a few exceptions of course - it's a picture book Oktoberfest.
Jacqueline Long
These souvenirs are particularly popular at the Oktoberfest this year
In addition to stalls selling roasted almonds and bratwurst, there are also numerous stalls selling souvenirs. The half-time balance has shown that large and small gingerbread hearts are particularly popular with foreign guests. Just figuring out which label fits best isn't always easy. For example, how do you best translate “Spatzl”, “Fescher Bua” or “Du Bazi” into English or Italian? This is where the salespeople’s translation skills are required.
Also in high demand according to the city: pins – “especially if you can use them to prove your relationship status,” says a press release. Did you know that an edelweiss means “forgiven” and a pretzel means “single”?
Jacqueline Long
Behind the scenes of the flea circus
Have you always wanted to know what exactly is behind a flea circus? My colleague from SZ Nun, the young format of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, took a look at it.
You can read the story about this dying art here:
Bodo’s café tent in a new look
Bodo's café tent is certainly not new, but what is new is its external appearance: This year, landlord Otto Lindinger put up a wooden tent. The bar has moved to the first floor, there is a smoking balcony and the street vending is covered.
Jacqueline Long
Sexual assault on a 31-year-old - paramedics and tent employees intervene
A 31-year-old is in custody after an alleged sexual offense at the Oktoberfest. The man is said to have carried out sexual acts on a 31-year-old woman against the apparent will of a 31-year-old woman on Sunday around 10:30 p.m., according to the police's current investigation. The incident took place on the slope next to the Bavaria, which was decried as a “vomit hill”.
Several medical service employees and an employee of a festival tent observed the incident, reports the dpa news agency. According to the police, two of them intervened, separated the man from the woman and held him until the officers arrived. They temporarily arrested him and took him to the Oktoberfest guard.
According to the information, the woman was looked after by the criminal police and medically examined, and traces were also secured. The suspect was initially taken to the police headquarters detention center. An investigating judge issued an arrest warrant against the man.
