O'zapft is: The summer festival is opened

Today it was "o'zapft is!" in the Olympic Park. Mayor Verena Dietl opened the summer festival as patron. Together with Olympic Park boss Marion Schöne and the Managing Director of VMS Veranstaltungsgesellschaft der Münchner Schausteller GmbH, Robert Eckl, she tapped the first pint of the "little Oktoberfest", as the summer festival was often called in previous years. "I am delighted that the summer festival is now taking place in the Olympic Park again. Now more than ever, it offers an attractive and varied holiday programme, especially for Munich families spending the summer in the city. The new themed weekends are a great addition to the festival concept. I am convinced that they will go down extremely well with the people of Munich," says Mayor Verena Dietl.

From Thursday, 27 July to Sunday, 20 August, visitors can look forward to 25 days of popular classics and many new experiences. Munich's showmen open their rides, the stall street invites you to stroll and browse, the food stalls offer culinary delights from all over the world. There are also a number of new features: special themed weekends, a special children's programme, a flea market in the Olympic Stadium and much more.

"Organised for the first time on its tenth anniversary, the Summer Festival has been a highlight in our calendar of events for more than four decades - with the exception of the last three years, when the event had to take a break first due to the pandemic and then during the 2022 European Championships. I am delighted that our Olympic Park classic is finally taking place again and with a new concept that combines familiar and much-loved attractions and completely new offers for the whole family in one big, exciting event," says Olympic Park Director Marion Schöne.

The four different themed weekends are new: From 27 to 30 July, visitors will be in bloom: as part of the Munich Flower Power Festival, everything will revolve around the beauty and diversity of our flora. Dirndl and lederhosen are the order of the day on 5 and 6 August. There will be a programme with everything that belongs to a traditional Bavarian cultural weekend, including Dachshund Day (5 August). From 10 to 13 August, the motto is: Simply do it yourself. On the Selfmade Days, you can get creative yourself or admire your own creations. If you want to get active, you should definitely come to the Olympic Park from 17 to 20 August. A varied outdoor sports programme awaits athletes of all ages. Among other things, the Workout|side crew will be organising free HIIT, core, recovery and yoga workouts in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.

An absolute must for young visitors is the new Lilalu-Kinderland, which offers sporting and creative activities from Thursdays to Sundays. Another special highlight for young festival visitors is the LEGO® DREAMZzz™ Camp, which will be open from 3 to 20 August from Thursday to Sunday and on 15 August. At the Midnightbazar in the Olympic Stadium (Day&Night Market) on 12 and 13 August, visitors can browse and haggle to their heart's content. In addition, the "Arena of Skills" of the DFL foundation campaign #ZukunftBewegen will be coming to the park on 12 and 13 August with a wide range of sports activities, especially for children and young people.

The summer festival is framed by the Theatron Music Summer (27 July - 20 August), which takes place at the same time, and the two-week holiday event "Kunst & Krempel" with workshops and studios for young creative minds (30 July - 13 August).

As in the past, Munich's showmen and showwomen will of course be offering both quiet and fast-paced rides - the three children's days on 2, 9 and 16 August are also back on the programme. In addition to the street of stalls, the Feinschmeckergasse offers popular delicacies from all over the world, international street food, from crepes to langos, burgers and bratwurst. The "Saluti da Capri - Bar & Musik" in the Olympic Lake, a 600 square metre terrace with parasols and deckchairs for unlimited relaxation in Munich's midsummer, provides a chilled-out beach atmosphere.

And, of course, there will be a real bang again. The big fireworks display on two Thursdays (3 and 17 August) will create a colourful pyro spectacle in the night sky. With old classics and new events, the 2023 summer festival is more varied than ever before - and guaranteed to be a highlight for young and old.