Murnau folk festival: Almost everything is a size smaller - On July 8th, o'zapft will be served

Created: 07/05/2022, 1:55 p.m

By: Andreas Mayr

Time for something to turn: The Murnau folk festival is imminent (here is an archive recording from 2019).

©Andreas Mayr

After two difficult years, a Murnau folk festival without corona restrictions is possible again.

And yet a lot is changing: There are fewer places in the beer tent because there are no service staff, the amusement park is more family-friendly.

For the first time, Murnau can be overlooked from a Ferris wheel.

Murnau

– The story from Kaltenberg is a reminder for an entire industry.

A music festival there had to be canceled at short notice a few weeks ago because security forces were absent.

Christian Fahrenschon knows similar stories from Heimhausen, Ingolstadt and Bayreuth.

Folk festivals were canceled everywhere because there was a lack of employees at all levels.

"All companies have a permanent shortage of staff," complains the innkeeper of the Murnauer Wiesn.

An all-clear in advance: The folk festival in Murnau will take place on Friday, July 8th, o'zapft will be on tap - albeit with restrictions.

Because they don't have enough service staff, the Fahrenschon host family is setting up a smaller tent this year.

500 places are lost.

The capacity is reduced to 1500 seats.

"We can't have days off like other gastronomic establishments,"

explains Christian Fahrenschon before the start of the festival week (July 8th to 17th).

He has no other choice.

Exploding visitor numbers

This summer of 2022, the first without corona restrictions, is the summer of great turmoil.

On the one hand, the number of visitors is exploding.

At all of its folk festivals, Fahrenschon recorded an increase of at least 50 percent - compared to 2019, i.e. before the pandemic.

In Gmund, the number of guests even doubled.

You had to set up additional beer table sets.

"People thirst for it," says the Rosenheimer.

On the other hand, birthday parties, anniversaries, company meetings, flag consecration, boys' parties and the like flood the weekends and holidays.

At every corner there is something to celebrate, says the landlord.

With significant ramifications for the whole scene.

Operators are needed everywhere.

Some regular employees also looked for new, income-secure jobs during the pandemic.

The first to close

His children have long since joined the family business.

But Corona made her doubt her profession.

“That gave the younger generation something to think about,” says Fahrenschon.

Without the beer garden folk festivals in the previous year, the Rosenheim business would not have survived either.

So “only” remains a big financial and mental minus.

"We were devastated that we were the first to close and the last to unlock."

The showman industry was also badly hit.

In addition to employee concerns, there were delivery problems for spare parts.

Fahrenschon speaks of an “empty market”.

That's why the Murnau amusement park is more familiar than usual.

The innkeepers were only able to find one wild ride – a 40-meter rollover.

But the replacement is impressive, after all there has never been anything like it in Murnau: For the first time there is a Ferris wheel on the fairground with a view over the town.

"A family bike," says Fahrenschon, meaning that it doesn't protrude too high and even small children can get on without hesitation.

The fireworks are also new.

After the previous launching area has been built up, the pyrotechnicians use a baroque firework display that burns off at a lower altitude, is anchored in the ground,

Mix of party and customs

Otherwise, the Fahrenschons offer the usual and popular mix of parties (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) and customs (citizens' evening on Tuesday, family day on Wednesday, company day on the last Friday).

However, some familiar faces will be missing – like the legendary Manyana musicians.

Fahrenschon says: "It makes me think when you see how many are no longer available."

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