In Bavaria, energy debates now touch on an institution: the Oktoberfest. While many cities limit public lighting and lower the temperature of municipal swimming pools, the organization of this great traditional autumn festival is closely scrutinized, assures The Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Dieter Reiter, the mayor of Munich, recently defended the event, whose energy consumption would represent only “0.05% of annual electricity consumption and 0.01% of gas consumption” of his city. But voices still denounce the unnecessary energy expenditure generated by the demonstrations.
“The electricity consumed on the site during these two weeks [de fête] would be enough to supply more than 21,000 homes during the same period, yet analyzes the newspaper from southern Germany. And the volume of gas burned during the party could provide heat and hot water for just under 2,300 average Munich homes.”
In total, “the party consumed 2.8 million kilowatt hours in 2019”date of last edition before the Covid-19 pandemic and its cancellations. At the time, “more than 200,000 cubic meters of natural gas” were also used.
434,998 roast chickens
Oktoberfest organizers are aware of these flaws, says the left-wing headline. To save money, they decided not to install outdoor heaters during this 187e editing.
But the festivities are still energy-intensive, say the experts. Roasted chicken, the flagship food of the Oktoberfest, is for example cooked in gas rotisseries. However, during the last festivities, “party visitors gobbled up 434,998”.
Added to this are other sources of energy expenditure. “The journey of visitors, the production of beer, the transport of foodstuffs, which sometimes come from afar, to name just a few examples – all this represents a large amount of energy”, analyzes Karen Pittel, researcher at the Ifo economic institute in Munich, in the pages of the daily.
Faced with these challenges, the festivities could evolve in the years to come, assures The Sueddeutsche Zeitung. To cushion the rise in gas and electricity prices, the organizers could in particular shorten the traditional festive period.
According to Karen Pittel, a total cancellation of the festivities is however not topical:
“You cannot deprive life of all joy, and ban everything that makes you happy.”