After a two-year Oktoberfest break: Less beer, fewer police, fewer hospitals

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Photo: CHRISTIAN BRUNA/EPA

Halfway through the first Wiesn after the Corona break, the official bodies take stock.

So far, the giant folk festival has been quieter than the last edition in 2019. Fewer guests came, mainly because of the rainy weather.

This also means: less alcohol, fewer police operations and fewer patients in the Wiesn medical station.

The innkeepers reported a 15 percent drop in beer consumption, and the helpers at the Wiesn medical station even had to treat 30 percent fewer patients.

Unlike innkeepers and showmen, they are happy about fewer visitors here, said operations manager Michel Belcijan.

Despite the drop in alcohol consumption, about half of the 2,600 medical treatments in the medical center this year were alcohol-related.

The police reported a slight decrease with 923 missions (2019: 1010 missions at halftime).

According to the information, fewer Oktoberfest visitors got into the car drunk after the festival.

However, there was more resistance to police officers, more pickpocketing – one of all things involving a police officer – and slightly more sex crimes.

The bad weather also apparently hindered drug use.

About 120 times there were reports of physical harm - 17 times alone the beer mug was used as a weapon.

This gave the officials time to help, even in unusual cases.

A few days ago, they escorted a budgerigar to the animal shelter that had gotten lost at the Oktoberfest and had sought refuge with a stall owner.

sbo/dpa