Oktoberfest 2021 cancelled
Update May 3, 2021
Sadly today the city of Munich made the official announcement that the 2021 Oktoberfest will be cancelled. This comes just weeks after they were still optimistic of the possibility of hosting the festival this year.
Minister President Söder gave three reasons for the cancellation of the Wiesn 2021: “First: The situation is too uncertain. We have an economic obligation here – a later cancellation of the Oktoberfest would be an economic loss.” The second reason he cited was the potential damage to the Oktoberfest brand, a globally renowned calling card for Munich and Bavaria. Third, Söder said, an Oktoberfest with requirements such as mandatory masks and distances in the large tents would not be feasible and could lead to “chaotic conditions.”
Read the official statement from the city of Munich here.
If you have booked a 2021 Oktoberfest package with us, we’ll be contacting you within the next few days.
Below are previous updates on the 2021 festival for your info.
Check out our full guide to the 2022 Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
Previous Oktoberfest 2021 updates
As of right now, we do not have a definitive answer as to whether or not Oktoberfest 2021 will happen. But the good news is that we are definitely close to one!
Because of the lengthy process of constructing the festival grounds (and about a million other tasks), the decision as to whether Oktoberfest 2021 will be canceled or not is expected to come sooner rather than later.
We could know the fate of Oktoberfest 2021 as early as April, but Munich’s mayor has said we’ll definitely have an answer by May at the latest. The official announcement that Oktoberfest 2020 had been canceled came on April 21st that year.
What Munich is saying
Update: April 27, 2021
Though we still don’t have an official announcement, Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter expresses his feelings that there isn’t much hope left. “Hope gets weaker from week to week if you are honest. “
In a recent interview, he cites the rising worldwide coronavirus numbers as the reason Oktoberfest 2021 might not happen. He says, “There would have to be landslide-like vaccination movements for it to actually still work.” Clemens Baumgärtner, the head of Oktoberfest, has the same feelings.
Either way, Reiter says an official announcement will come in May. Stay tuned.
Update: March 29, 2021
The Lord Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter said in a recent interview: “I wouldn’t place any bets on an Oktoberfest in 2021.” Rising Covid-19 cases in Germany have led him and other top officials to step back on their initial optimism.
They are still hopeful that cases will decline and vaccinations will speed up in time before any official announcements have to be made.
Update: March 1, 2021
At the beginning of 2021, the Lord Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter commented on the current state of things saying he would not consider a “stripped-down” version of Oktoberfest. In other words, Oktoberfest 2021 will be the same great festival we all know and love, or it won’t happen it all.
He, and others like the landlords and breweries, feel certain Covid health and safety protocols such as restricting admissions, limiting tables, etc. would “permanently damage the image and uniqueness of Oktoberfest.”
Read the official statement here (use Google translate for English)
Likewise, in mid-January, the head of Oktoberfest and Munich economic advisor Clemens Baümgartner told a local radio station: “We assume that there will be an Oktoberfest this year.” (source) We’ll prost to that!
Where we are now
So, though we still don’t have any definitive answers to the big question, we do have some insight from Munich’s decision makers as well as the comfort of knowing we’ll have an answer soon.
For a comprehensive guide on navigating the waters of an Oktoberfest 2021 cancelation, check out this post ↓↓↓↓↓
>>> Will Oktoberfest 2021 take place? The Info you need to know <<<
Additional resources
- For local updates on Oktoberfest-related topics and news, check out dw.com
- The official website for the Munich Oktoberfest
