Wiesn 2022 under 2G rules: the city of Munich is threatened with costs in the millions

Created: 01/14/2022, 20:32

By: Sascha Karowski, Klaus Vick

The Wiesn should take place in 2022 - if the situation permits and then with controls.

That will be expensive.

© Felix Hörhager/dpa/symbol image

The Wiesn could be almost twice as expensive this year as before.

This emerges from documents from the Economics Department.

According to this, the admission controls due to Corona could cost 7.5 million euros.

Munich - Holding the Wiesn under 2G conditions will significantly increase the costs for the city.

According to this, a further 7.5 million euros should be added to the regular expenditure of around 10.2 million.

Bringing the Oktoberfest forward is finally off the table.

For 2G entry controls: City needs 500 additional stewards for Oktoberfest

The additional costs result mainly from an additional 500 folders (5.5 million euros) and the technical and structural installation of the control points (900,000 euros), as can be seen from an internal paper from the economics department, which is available to our editorial team.

As reported, only vaccinated people and those who have recovered from a corona infection should have access to the Oktoberfest 2022 – if it takes place.

A solution with forgery-proof wristbands at the entrance control would even increase the costs by a further 6.5 million euros.

Then the city would already be at a total of around 24 million euros.

The economic department rules out a 2G-plus rule.

This is not technically and financially feasible because at least 200,000 tests would be necessary for the Oktoberfest every day.

Oktoberfest in Munich: Costs would have to be passed on to showmen and hosts

If the Wiesn were to take place under 2G conditions, according to information from the economic department, 2.7 million euros of the additional costs would have to be passed on to the showmen and hosts - albeit spread over a period of four years. This means that the stand rent and sales lease would not increase so much - and the festival visitors would probably not have to worry about horrendous beer prices.

According to the city administration, the additional control points for admission are at the expense of showmen and restaurants.

An exact order of magnitude is not mentioned in the paper.

The economic department also refers to the risk of failure of the security and medical service or the waiters in the event of vaccination breakthroughs.

A late cancellation of the Wiesn would cost the city dearly.

According to the administration, if the Oktoberfest were canceled by June 1 at the latest, around 1.2 million euros would be due for the security service alone.

A spontaneous cancellation at the beginning of September should result in more than seven million euros.

Wiesn boss Clemens Baumgärtner: "We have to provide the staff for the access controls"

However, these figures are rather hypothetical. An intergroup working group of the city council met again on Friday to discuss the procedure for the Oktoberfest 2022. After this meeting, it is now finally clear that the Wiesn will not be brought forward. The working group agreed on this. The Oktoberfest is to take place as planned from September 17th to October 3rd. For economics officer Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU), the increase in costs is inevitable: "We have to provide the personnel for the access controls - regardless of whether this is regulated with wristbands or digitally." Turnstiles like at the fair are not an option at the Oktoberfest.

Wiesn city councilor Anja Berger (Greens) is now certain: "An Oktoberfest as we know it will not be possible." Berger assumes that at the end of April it will be clear whether the Oktoberfest can take place.

The distribution of the additional costs for the controls still has to be finally discussed.

But Berger emphasizes: “These will certainly not be passed on 100 percent to the hosts and feeders.”

SPD City Councilor Klaus Peter Rupp: "Safe Oktoberfest under pandemic conditions"

For SPD City Councilor Klaus Peter Rupp, it is also clear that the city will bear the cancellation costs for the security service in the event of a cancellation due to the pandemic.

Normally, the Oktoberfest should be a self-supporting event, i.e. not a burden on the city coffers.

However, it is becoming apparent that the city will make an exception once - in order not to have to keep turning the cost screw for showmen and innkeepers.

Rupp says that the focus now is on “enabling a safe Oktoberfest under pandemic conditions”.