The legal dispute over the tent allocation at Oktoberfest has thrown the Bavarian capital of Munich into turmoil. Wiesn host Alexander Egger, who has operated the smaller tent “Münchner Stubn” since 2022, is demanding a Europe-wide tender for the festival tents. This could fundamentally change the traditional allocation system that has been in place for years.
Egger argues that service concessions valued at over 5.4 million euros net must be tendered across Europe by law. His goal is to rise to the upper echelon of Wiesn hosts and take over spots from traditional hosts like the Schottenhamel family. Egger’s lawyer, Benno Ziegler, emphasizes that this would lead to fair competition.
The established Wiesn hosts are reacting with dismay to this initiative. Christian Schottenhamel, who has been represented at the Wiesn for over a century, expresses concerns that the festival’s tradition is at risk. An insider describes the review request as a “megalomaniacal attack” on the cultural heritage of Oktoberfest.
The government of Upper Bavaria has until Thursday, May 21, to evaluate the review request. If the request is successful, Oktoberfest, which begins on Saturday, September 19, could face logistical challenges. Many reservation requests are currently pending, as it remains unclear who will actually be allowed to serve beer in September.
