Oktoberfest 2014 - What's New?
Construction started back in July at the Theresienwiesn and preparations are fully underway for Munich’s 181st Oktoberfest celebration. The “Wiesn” undergoes some changes every year, but there is one BIG change for 2014!
A new tent will debut on the Wiesn grounds - and the Hippodrom, an institution at the Wiesn since 1902 is gone! The host of the Hippodrom has landed in a sticky tax situation and the city of Munich has stripped him of his tent concession (and the Andechser am Dom restaurant). The new tent is one of the smaller ones with just 3,500 inside and 900 outside. The design is reminiscent of the 19th century and features the horse as its leitmotiv. The family running the tent operates several gastronomic operations around Munich – see here. More information about the tent can be seen on line at www.marstall-oktoberfest.com.
A new small tent, the Kalbsbraterei, will also make its debut in 2014. This tent will seat just 300 people, but still features live music. This concession was to go to the Able family, but with their “promotion” this smaller tent is going to Mr. Hochreiter, who previously operated the wonderful Carousel Bar.
On the midway, there’s a new attraction called “Encounter.” Guests are taken into the lab of a virtual professor who is researching extra-terrestrial life forms. Suddenly, there is a loss of power and then the fun starts for the visitor! The fellow who did the special effects used to worked for David Copperfield, so it might be worthwhile to check this one out!
For something totally different, you can make a quick trip to the sea at the „Big Bamboo“ attraction. Here you ride a raft to a tropical island, cross shaky hanging bridges, deal with water obstacles also while listening to Caribbean music. And, word has it that every guest gets lei’d at the end!
Best of all, the Oide Weisn is back this year and many small changes are promised. If you want to get away from the huge crowds of international tourists and have a glimpse into the Bavarian culture, it’s definitely worth the admission fee to check this out!
For BayernTrips there will also be some changes in 2014. Our daytime reservation will be in the Hausbox at Augustiner instead of in Boxe 3. We will miss the ladies there, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy being closer to the band. On our first Sunday reservation, Alumni guests will have first right of refusal to enjoy a different tent – Wildmoser. We send some scouts there in 2013 and they reported back with two thumbs up! On the second Sunday, we’ll be moved from the balcony in Augustiner to the Hausbox on the main floor. Not quite the “mosh-pit” but should be a little more rowdy!
If you aren’t able to make it this year, consider our Best of Bavaria trip from September 26 – October 8. I’m also working on an Alumni trip for the week before – details are sketchy right down, but we plan to start in Cologne and visit Düsseldorf and Aachen. You can also look in at live camera of the Wiesn.
To see more of my articles about Oktoberfest, have look at these blog entries: