Oktoberfest in danger: bomb threat sends Munich into turmoil!

Oktoberfest in danger: bomb threat sends Munich into turmoil!

What a turbulent time for the Oktoberfest in Munich! On October 1, 2025, the largest folk festival in the world was rocked by a bomb threat that paralyzed the festival grounds for over seven hours. A 57-year-old set his parents' house in Lerchenau on fire and left a letter with reference to a "bombastic experience" at the Oktoberfest before he took his own life. These horrific events led to a large police presence and an extensive evacuation and search operation that temporarily shut down Oktoberfest until 5:30 p.m., reports Mercury.

The situation became more and more serious when the city of Munich sent out a warning message via cell broadcast warning of an “extreme danger”. This understandably caused uncertainty among visitors to the Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest boss Christian Scharpf (SPD) expressed sharp criticism of this warning and stated that it was no longer necessary at this point. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) was also skeptical about the city's communication and called for a revision of the strategy for such reports.

A complex picture

The background to the bomb threat also does not go unnoticed. In addition to the horrific suicide of the alleged perpetrator, the authorities quickly determined that there was no political background - the motive appears to have been a family dispute. The police have made it unmistakably clear that there is currently no evidence of a specific threat to the Oktoberfest. The security concept for this year's Oktoberfest, which runs from September 20th to October 5th, 2025, remains at a "very high" level T Online.

The Munich police take the threats against the Oktoberfest seriously and are meticulously checking all information. It is important to emphasize that the current threatening message is linked to the activities of terrorist organizations such as the ISPK, which has called for attacks on a propaganda platform. This threat fits into the existing picture of a persistent high abstract threat from Islamist terrorism.

Financial losses and future measures

These disturbing incidents have also caused financial losses - Scharpf estimates that the closure of the festival grounds resulted in a loss of around 20 million euros in sales. Peter Inselkammer, spokesman for the Oktoberfest innkeepers, put the loss for that day at around half of the daily turnover. And while discussions arose about a possible extension of the festival, the Dehoga hospitality association quickly withdrew these considerations.

A newspaper report also admits that Allianz has confirmed that loss of sales due to terrorism or the threat of terrorism is insurable. This could be important for the Oktoberfest hosts, because individual insurance models vary greatly.

In summary, even after these dramatic events, Oktoberfest remains an integral part of Munich culture. However, the city and its citizens must be able to react quickly and manage possible dangers as best as possible. The last few days have shown that not only security measures but also communication urgently need to be improved in order to restore citizens' trust.

In these uncertain times, there remains hope that Oktoberfest can continue peacefully and safely until its finale on October 5th. Even though the challenges are great, the people who make the festival come alive are the heart of these events - and we can look forward to that!