Oktoberfest: Crowds flock to the Oktoberfest in the best weather

Last year there was a critical crowd at the Oktoberfest on the middle Saturday of the Oktoberfest. This time too it is very crowded, but there is a way to get through.

Official figures on how many people are currently at the Oktoberfest are not yet available. Anyone who has been here at this time in the past few days will be able to confirm the subjective impression: It is the busiest day so far - and that is no wonder, as the middle Saturday of the Oktoberfest is traditionally the one with the most visitors. On top of that, the sun is shining.

However, no announcements to direct the masses have yet been heard. And even if progress is slow, there is still a way to get through. However, the Aicher Ambulance, which is in a hurry during operations, has to make do with whistles as always.

Already in the afternoon, the main entrances of many large and even small tents are closed, and crowds of people are forming in front of them - like here in front of the Hofbräu festival tent. Visitors use hand signals to show the bouncers how many seats they need. They don't want to give up hope of getting in yet.

Munich has now been awarded the contract to apply as a German candidate for the 2036, 2040 or 2044 Olympics. Which made Prime Minister Markus Söder happy but also nervous. Because he will probably have to climb into the Olympic loop at the Oktoberfest in the coming days. Not exactly his favorite ride, he obviously prefers gentler ones.

The Oktoberfest paramedics are also feeling the fact that there has been a lot more going on on Theresienwiese since Friday. They had to handle 182 stretcher missions on Friday - more than twice as many as the day before. The Aicher Ambulance announced on Saturday that they cared for a total of 703 patients.

Dramas take place every day at the Oktoberfest, one of which will soon be shown on Netflix. Because Simon Verhoeven is currently filming a romantic comedy about an Oktoberfest waitress on the Theresienwiese. 4,000 were wanted for this.

It was almost half a century ago, but many of those affected are still suffering today: On the evening of September 26, 1980, a right-wing extremist bomber exploded at the main entrance to the Oktoberfest. Twelve people died and around 200 were injured. In the morning, representatives of the city, the bereaved and the DGB youth remembered them.

For a 32-year-old, the 191st Oktoberfest is over again because of repeated sexual assaults. According to police, the man had repeatedly harassed and groped women. Because he had also ignored an expulsion, the district administration department now issued a general ban on entry to the festival grounds.

The Munich police have arrested a 51-year-old after an attempted pickpocketing in the Schottenhamel tent. According to the information, the man caught the eye of investigators because he was moving conspicuously through the tent looking for opportunities to steal.