Munich Oktoberfest to Use AI Cameras and New Crowd Controls in 2026

The Munich Oktoberfest will introduce AI‑driven cameras that can spot excessively large crowds and trigger immediate alerts, according to festival manager Christian Scharpf. A new coordination centre will be set up to improve communication between security authorities and the city, with the lost‑and‑found office moving to the German Museum’s transport hub.

To ease congestion, brass bands will start playing an hour earlier in the tents, encouraging international visitors to attend on weekdays rather than crowded weekends. The revised operating rules also ban “up‑tempo” music until the evening. Additionally, three new rides – the "Shake & Roll," "Fischerman's" multi‑level water attraction, and the "Chaos Pendel" – will debut.

The traditional opening "Ozapft is" on 19 September will be overseen for the first time by mayor Dominik Krause, who succeeded Dieter Reiter.