In this century, Oktoberfest is canceled for the first time
As reported by "Russkaya Germaniya", answering questions from German correspondents, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder and Munich's Mayor Dieter Reiter said regarding Oktoberfest 2020: "We both have the same assessment. We are very skeptical about whether it makes sense to hold such a giant international festival under these conditions."
Both politicians spoke about the "giant festival" without mincing words: the guests of Oktoberfest 2019 were 6.3 million people from all over the world. Together they drank 7.5 million liter mugs of beer (not counting water and soft drinks), ate almost as many millions of chickens and roosters, hundreds of sheep, and dozens of bulls. They also lost or forgot 780 ID cards, 660 wallets, 465 bank cards, 690 jackets and other clothing items, 420 mobile phones, and so on. As always, it was fun and very significant not only for Munich but for the country as a whole.
But it's not just about having a good time. As the festival's new director, Munich's press secretary for labor and economics Clemens Baumgärtner, explained on the eve of the cancellation, "In Munich, there are shops and businesses, as well as people, who earn most of their annual income precisely during Oktoberfest." And he estimated the losses from canceling the festival at 1.5-2 billion euros.
Nevertheless, Söder and Reiter regretfully announced the need to cancel the beloved festival: "We live in special times. Living with coronavirus means living cautiously," said Bavaria's Prime Minister. "The risk is too great. People will not be able to keep the necessary distance at Oktoberfest or serve customers with a mask on their face." He added: "Any limited forms or semi-alternatives are inappropriate. Unfortunately, 2020 will be a year without Oktoberfest."
"The cancellation of Oktoberfest is a very bitter pill for all of us," adds Dieter Reiter. The mayor explained that this cancellation hits Munich's economy hard – not only showmen, world-famous breweries, and tent owners participate in the festival, but also hotels, restaurants, and taxi drivers. "If you add up all sales," said Reiter, "according to Munich, last year about 1.23 billion euros were generated from the Theresienwiese."
In its 210-year history, Munich's Oktoberfest has been canceled more than two dozen times: due to the Napoleonic Wars (1813), cholera (1854, 1873), the Austro-Prussian War (1866), the Franco-Prussian War (1870), World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), as well as inflation (1923-1924). Coronavirus has added its sad contribution to this history.