Arnold Schwarzenegger conducts the band at the Marstall tent during the 188th Oktoberfest on Saturday in Munich, Germany. Photo / Hannes Magerstaedt, Getty Images
Arnold Schwarzenegger conducts the band at the Marstall tent during the 188th Oktoberfest on Saturday in Munich, Germany. Photo / Hannes Magerstaedt, Getty Images
“I’ll be back…” he said, and the Austrian-American politician was true to his word.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was just one of an estimated 3.4 million attendees at Oktoberfest, in the southern German city of Munich, on Sunday.
At its halfway marker, the Bavarian folk fest is now on track to break the number of 6.3m attendees in 2019. Just one year after returning from a pandemic hiatus, it is already exceeding pre-Covid visitor figures.
The world’s largest beer festival has been drawing visitors since 1810. This is despite it possibly being one of the most expensive, too.
A traditional 500-millilitre ‘stein glass’ of beer costs between €12.60 and €14.90 ($22.50 - $26.70). That’s up 6 per cent on last year.
Still, the crowds have been drawn from all corners of the world to sample the south German beer. German news site Stern reported that international travellers were inbound from the US, Austria, Italy and France.
One notable visitor was the ex-Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 76-year-old, who was born across the border in Graz, was spotted on Sunday with partner Heather Milligan.
The Terminator actor was seen in a leather jacket drinking and, at one point, joining the orchestra of the Marstall tent over the weekend.
Another familiar face seen this weekend at the German beer festival was footballer and newly minted Munich resident Harry Kane. The England captain, who recently signed to Bundesliga side FC Bayern for €100 million ($178 million), was seen getting acquainted with local customs and Bavarian fare at the annual autumn festival this weekend.
Footballers Harry Kane and Raphael Guerreiro toast the FC Bayern signing at Oktoberfest in Käfer Schänke's Beetle Bar. Photo / S. Mellar, Getty Images
During the FC Bayern photocall, the English football player was introduced to pretzels, a salted bread, and ladybirds - the little red and black ‘Marienkäfer’ beetles are a good luck symbol. The bugs also give their name to another German export - the Volkswagen V1 “Käfer” Beetle, the country’s favourite vintage car.
The city’s love of beer requires a little less translation.
The local speciality has been protected since 1516 by one of Bavaria’s oldest printed laws. The “Reinheitsgebot” says brewers can only use four ingredients: grains, hops, water and yeast.
Festival director Clemens Baumgärtner said the “summery, relaxed” atmosphere came from a festival that was under no pressure to break pre-pandemic attendance levels.
“The weather gave us a truly magnificent Oktoberfest halftime weekend,” Baumgärtner told Stern.
Despite high attendance levels, crime levels were lower than in either 2022 and 2019, although there were an alarming 838 police reports of interventions from Wiesnwache officers.
