STORY: Munich beer festival Oktoberfest combines tradition with innovation: chief of Oktoberfest
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Sept. 29, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:11
LOCATION: Berlin
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE (German): CLEMENS BAUMGARTNER, Chief of the Oktoberfest

STORYLINE:

The 189th Oktoberfest, one of the largest folk festivals in Germany, opened on Sept. 21 in Munich.

According to Clemens Baumgartner, chief of the Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest adheres to the concept of combining tradition with innovation, attracting visitors from all over the world.

SOUNDBITE (German): CLEMENS BAUMGARTNER, Chief of the Oktoberfest
"This year's Oktoberfest has made a dream start. It couldn't have been better. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining. We had a million visitors on the first weekend, which is rare. And I think this also shows that the Oktoberfest has not lost its appeal. It is still a place of longing. The Oktoberfest is a mixture of tradition and innovation. We maintain the historical roots with various events, such as the entry of the Oktoberfest hosts, the parade of traditional costume and marksmen, and the square concert that takes place here. We also don't want to have LCD screens on the square, no fast light sequences, etc. All these are intended to make sure that it remains a historical festival which is also innovative, though. This applies to the environmental sector as well as the security sector. Now we are holding the 189th Oktoberfest.
Of course, we have also learned a lot about how to organize this festival over 189 events and despite the long years, it has never lost its appeal because it is a festival in Munich, primarily for people of Munich. But we still welcome guests from all over the world, especially from the People's Republic of China who feel at home here because they can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Munich people.
It is an important thing for us that every festival has and retains its own character. Qingdao, for example, has an insanely great international beer festival. I visited it last year and felt excited. It was a great festival. The setting of the place was beautiful and it fits in perfectly with Qingdao."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Berlin.
(XHTV)