And there are no Bavarian-dressed beefy barmaids holding fistfulls of heavy 1-liter beer glasses.
Oktoberfest in Munich has been canceled for the second year in a row but unlike last year, restaurants are holding an “alternative Oktoberfest.”
They, along with bars and pubs, have decorated their places like an Oktoberfest beer tent and are doing their best to recreate the lively atmosphere of Germany’s most famous party event.
They are calling it the Wirtshauswiesn and there is festival music, seasonal beers traditionally served at Oktoberfest and staff and patrons dressed in the lederhosen and dirndl costumes.
Heck, some locals are even going to the Oktoberfest grounds, known as the Theresienwiese, to drink beer in the vicinity of the beer tents. This is set to run until Oct. 3, when Oktoberfest was originally scheduled to end.
The Munich mayor, Dieter Reiter, is in full support of the alternative Oktoberfest but of course misses the real deal.
“I would definitely like it to keep it at two Wiesn cancellations during my term of office,” he said.
He also added a warning to those wanting to go to Oktoberfest next year but don’t want to get vaccinated.
“If someone doesn’t want to be tested or vaccinated, then they won’t be able to go to the Oktoberfest in 2022,” he said.
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