Daily Management Review

Germany cancels Oktoberfest for the first time in post-war history


04/22/2020


The festival, which attracted about 6 million beer fans every year, brought up to €1.3 billion to the breweries, organizers of the celebration, as well as artists, hotel owners and taxi drivers.



needpix
needpix
The world's largest beer festival Oktoberfest, scheduled to take place in Munich from September 19 to October 4, fell another victim of the pandemic. The cancellation of the public holiday on Tuesday, April 21, at a special press conference was announced by Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter. "This is an emotionally difficult moment for me personally and an economically difficult moment for this city," Reiter said. According to Reuters, the festival, which attracted about 6 million fans every year, brought breweries, organizers of the holiday, as well as artists, hotel owners, taxi drivers, up to €1.3 billion.

Markus Söder explained the cancellation of Oktoberfest by the danger of a sharp increase in the number of people infected with a new coronavirus infection, given the inability to ensure social distance in beer tents among people who drink and celebrate.

According to the Robert Koch Institute for the Study of Infectious Diseases, Bavaria remains the absolute leader in Germany both in the number of detected cases of coronavirus infection (38 310 or 293 cases per 100 000 people), and in the number of victims of COVID-19 (1336 people).

Oktoberfest was first held in 1810 on the occasion of the wedding of the future Bavarian king Ludwig I. In the 19th century, the festival was canceled only twice due to cholera epidemics. The festival resumed in its traditional form in 1949. The current cancellation was the first in the 70-year post-war history of Oktoberfest.

source: reuters.com