Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Oktoberfest Closes Entrances Briefly After Crowd Surge as Officials Admit Messaging Flaws

An internal review follows reports of panic during a half‑hour lockout that organizers say prevented worse crowding.

Overview

  • Festival gates were sealed to new arrivals for about 30 minutes during the 17:00 table change, then reopened gradually as the crowd dispersed and conditions normalized within roughly an hour.
  • Munich police urged people not to come via posts on X, and U‑Bahn trains temporarily skipped the Theresienwiese and Schwanthalerhöhe stations to limit additional arrivals.
  • Wiesn chief Christian Scharpf said about 300,000 people were on the grounds at the peak, with overall attendance at mid‑festival estimated at 3.5 million, slightly below last year.
  • Authorities reported no serious injuries; the medical service treated two people for panic attacks, and reports of deaths circulating among visitors were not confirmed.
  • Visitors and vendors criticized unclear loudspeaker messages and late on‑site information; Scharpf acknowledged the announcements were not optimal and announced an internal analysis.