Overview

• Saturday’s table-change surge left parts of the Theresienwiese immobile, prompted a roughly 30‑minute closure to newcomers and drew reports of panic, with no serious injuries reported.
• Mayor Dieter Reiter issued a public apology, called the situation unacceptable and promised an overhaul of visitor management beyond the remaining festival days.
• Immediate steps start this week, including targeted crowdspotters, trained multilingual loudspeaker announcements tied to live camera feeds, stronger on‑site observation and increased police presence with social media updates.
• City messaging will warn that seats in large tents without reservations are unlikely on the final Saturday, after an initial suggestion of a blanket no‑entry policy was later softened.
• Longer‑term plans include real‑time visitor counting and a revised security concept, while council factions press for explanations on decision‑making, timing and communications during the closure.