Press Release

28.07.2016/Pa, W 09 Services for Wiesn Visitors

The on the Internet – Press Releases All current information is available at www.oktoberfest.eu, the official Oktoberfest website. All press releases relating to the Wiesn are found in the special press section at www.oktoberfest.eu/press.

Cash/Foreign Exchange Cash machines of various banks are available in the access areas to the festival grounds. The money exchange agency of Securicoin is located di- rectly at the main entrance behind the Wiesn post office. It also provides Wiesn vendors with the coinage required for doing business.

The Wiesn for People with a Disability → Press release W10 “Wiesn Experience for Disabled Visitors”

Wiesn Tours The official Munich tour guides offer group tours of the Oktoberfest. The walks across the greatest folk festival in the world take 1½ to 2 hours. Bookings can be made with München Tourismus, www.muenchen.de/gui- des Phone +49 (0) 89 233-30234 or +49 (0) 89 233-30204, Fax +49 (0) 89 233-30319 Email: [email protected] Published by: City of Munich, Department of Labor and Economic Development Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße 15, 80331 Munich, Germany, http://www.munich.de/business Contact: Wolfgang Nickl, Tel.: +49(0)89 233-2 25 97, Fax: +49(0)89 233-2 76 51 Email: [email protected] Those who would like to get an insight into the history of the Oktoberfest and those who want to cast a glance behind the scenery of this major event can book a guided tour at the booth called “Universum Oktoberfest” in Street 1 A, no. 7 close to the subway station “Theresienwiese”, www.universum-oktoberfest.de. In order to avoid waiting times we recommend advance booking: Georg P. Huber Veranstaltungsagentur GmbH, phone: +49(0)89 2323900, email: [email protected]. Special guided tours for school classes and groups of disabled people take place in the mornings upon prior registration.

Lost & Found The Lost & Found Office is located in the Theresienwiese service center (SZT), lower floor (entrance festival management). Lost and found items are often dropped off only one to two days after they have been lost. Therefore it makes sense to also wait one or two days before contacting the Lost & Found Office. Opening hours during the Wiesn: Daily from 1pm to 11pm Opening hours after the Wiesn: Tue, Oct. 4, 10am to 6pm As of November 2, 2016 all unclaimed items found on the Wiesn can be picked up at the Municipal Lost & Found Office at Oetztaler Strasse 19, 81373 Munich (“Harras” subway stop).

All found items will be stored there until January 27, 2017. If the lost items bear information about their owners (e.g. IDs, SIM cards for cell phones),

Page 2 said owners will automatically be notified after the Oktoberfest that their property is in safe hands. Lost items belonging to visitors from outside of Munich and Germany will be sent to their home communities or their embassies and consulates. Additional information: www.fundbuero-muenchen.de

Baggage Room For visitors who would like to check their baggage during their visit to the Wiesn, the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) maintains facilties for luggage sto- rage at the Theresienwiese subway station. For a small fee, visitors can also deposit a pram there and rent a wheelchair upon advance reservati- on. At Theresienhöhe there are also options for secure baggage storage (for a fee).

Childcare and Diaper-changing Station The BRK lost children station cares for kids who have become separated from their parents or guardians in the turbulence of the Wiesn. Their office is located in the Theresienwiese service center (SZT), at the festival management entrance. Facilities to change diapers and nurse babies are also provided here. At the Familien-Platzl beer garden (street 3 east) families find a diaper-changing room, a microwave to warm up baby food and a parking garage for prams.

Medical Care The Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) has emergency stations at the Theresienwiese service center ("first aid" entrance), at Esperantoplatz and at the northern end of the sideshow lane (“Schaustellerstrasse”). Vending

Page 3 machines for first-aid kits to tend to smaller emergencies are found at the Esperantoplatz exit, at the Familien-Platzl (Street 3 east), below the and at the Theresienwiese subway station.

Public Transport to Get to the Wiesn The means of public transport operated by the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft MVG (subway, bus and tram) and S-Bahn München under the umbrella of the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV) are available to all Wiesn visitors. Since the stops are located in immediate proximity to the festival grounds the Oktoberfest can easily be reached by subway, suburban train, tram and bus. Detailed information is available on the Internet at www.mvv- muenchen.de, www.mvg-mobil.de and www.s-bahn-muenchen.de.

Taxi Stands For the duration of the Oktoberfest the following taxi stands will be esta- blished in the Theresienwiese area:

- Schwanthalerstrasse, southern side (at the level of Bavariaring) - Schwanthalerstrasse, northern side (between Sankt-Paul- and Martin-Greif-Strasse) - Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz, western side (between Beethoven- and Schubertstrasse) - Herzog-Heinrich-Strasse, western side (between access to Kaiser-Ludwig-Platz 10 and Mozartstrasse) - Hans-Fischer-Strasse, at Theresienwiese (from 8pm – 5am)

Page 4 Park and Ride Visitors arriving by car from the Munich region are recommended to avoid the city center and to immediately access the park and ride stations upon exiting the highway. From there they can take public transportation to the Oktoberfest. Additional information: www.parkundride.de

Wiesn Post Office The Deutsche Post AG, Philately Subsidiary GmbH, will offer its services for Oktoberfest guests near the main entrance so that greetings from the Wiesn and souvenirs, such as beer steins, can easily be sent to destinations anywhere in the world.

Tour Coaches – Arrival and Parking From September 17 to October 3 a barrier ring will prohibit traffic including tour coaches around Theresienwiese. The police will not tolerate any buses within this area. Therefore we strongly recommend that you do not drive to Theresienwiese. Boarding and alighting of passengers is only possible in the designated parking zones, in order to avoid unnecessary annoyance to residents. Parking is available at Hansastrasse 51 (IGA parking lot), in the area of the stockyard at Zenettistrasse 21, along Tübinger Strasse on public traffic ground, at the designated area of Neue Messe München (De- Gaspari-Bogen), in Fröttmaning to the north of Allianz Arena (Werner- Heisenberg-Allee 25) as well as at the P+R bus terminals in Fröttmaning and Messestadt Ost.

Page 5 Information about parking for tour coaches can be obtained on the Internet at www.oktoberfest.eu prior to visiting the Oktoberfest. Here you can also download a German-language flyer for tour coaches (“einfach zur Wiesn”). Current information about availability in the respective parking facilities is provided by the traffic message channel.

Reservations Following a trial implementation in 2015 Munich residents can enjoy the special reservation offer again this year: On Saturdays, Sundays and October 3 until 3pm tables for reservation can be kept free for Munich residents in the festival halls. However: The reservation cannot be made in writing, by phone or online, but only in person with the respective caterer and upon presentation of the ID as proof of primary residence in Munich. Per person a maximum of one table without any minimum consumption can by booked.

The following applies to all Wiesn guests: Seats in the large festival tents can only be reserved directly from the respective caterer. A list of the re- servation offices is available on the Internet at www.oktoberfest.eu. Even if many tents are booked out, reservations are possible, of course, in the event of cancellations. The caterers provide information about available seats on their websites. Reservations for midday are still possible for individual working days. In many tents special midday delicacies are offered. Information can be obtained from the caterers.

Page 6 In order to facilitate spontaneous visits, at least one quarter of the seats in all festival halls with the exception of the Weinzelt and Käfer’s Wies'n- Schänke must be free for walk-in guests without reservation on weekdays; on weekends 50 percent of the seats must remain unreserved until 3pm.

For making a reservation in the middle aisles a minimum consumption in the value of not more than two liters of beer and half a chicken may be charged. For reservations in the area of the boxes, galleries and side aisles an additional voucher in the amount of EUR10 per person may be charged. For the Weinzelt and Käfer’s Wiesn-Schänke a minimum consumption of EUR 80 per person shall be applicable. For medium-sized caterers, such as chicken roasters and sausage snack stalls, a minimum consumption of EUR 60 per person may be charged for a reservation. Guests must not be obliged to reserve a set menu. Other services, such as the advance order of a plate of Bavarian tidbits, may be offered but are not a precondition for reservation. The coupons for food and drink issued by the festival tents are valid for the duration of the Oktoberfest 2016. They can also be redeemed at the regular establishments of the respective caterers at least until October 31, 2016 or the coupons can be refunded. In many cases it is not possible to redeem coupons on Sundays and holidays. Information about the specific options for redemption after the Wiesn is provided on the official Oktoberfest website at www.oktoberfest.eu as well as by the respective caterers.

Security Point Within the framework of the campaign “A Safe Wiesn for Girls and Wo- men” the Oktoberfest Security Point has provided a place of contact for fe-

Page 7 males needing special assistance at the Oktoberfest since 2003. At the Theresienwiese service center behind the Schottenhamel festival tent all security personnel wearing the initiative’s button can be addressed. They will immediately accompany any girl or woman in need of assistance to the Security Point. The initiatives AMYNA – Institute for the Prevention of Se- xual Abuse, IMMA – Initiative Munich Help for Girls and the Women’s Emergency/Crisis Center Munich provide trained staff to assist and sup- port female Wiesn visitors seeking their help. This campaign, which has received several awards, was granted the Anita-Augspurg Award of the City of Munich in 2010. It sets an example against sexual harassment at folk festivals. The campaign under the auspices of Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter, Mayor Josef Schmid and Mayor Christine Strobl is supported by the foundation Hansel+Gretel. By providing a specific help program for girls and women the Oktoberfest has assumed worldwide leadership against sexual assaults at folk festivals and lives up to its exemplary function as innovative funfair.

Toilets All toilet facilities on the Wiesn grounds are accessible free of charge.

Wiesn Hits for Kids A list of special offers and services for children and families is available on the Internet at www.oktoberfest.eu and in the official Wiesn magazine. → Press release W08 “Wiesn Hits for Kids”

Page 8 RVs In the area of the Theresienwiese there are no parking facilities for RVs. A special designated area at the Messegelände in München-Riem is provided as parking facility with sanitation for up to 1,500 RVs. The festive grounds can be reached by subway from there. The campsites at München-Obermenzing and Thalkirchen also offer pitches for RVs. In order to reach Theresienwiese visitors take the bus and change to suburban trains or subway. The parking facilities and campsites are signposted. A flyer in three languages (D – I – EN) supplies additional information and is available from the tourist information counters in the town hall, at the main train station, at highway stations and on the Internet at www.oktoberfest.eu.

Press Contact Oktoberfest Press Office Dr. Gabriele Papke Phone: +49 (0) 89 233-82812 / -82813 Fax: +49 (0) 89 233-82800 Email: [email protected] www.oktoberfest.eu and www.oktoberfest.eu/press Oktoberfest – the Festival of the City of Munich

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