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Court Clears Way for Oktoberfest Tents to Be Allocated and Built on Schedule

The interim ruling preserves this year's preparation timetable while leaving undecided whether large tents must be awarded under EU procurement law.

Overview

  • The Bavarian Supreme Regional Court refused to extend an injunction on Thursday, allowing Munich to sign contracts for the Paulaner and Schottenhamel tents and for the festival build to proceed.
  • Alexander Egger, a small Wiesn operator, has lost interim reliefs but is continuing a substantive legal challenge that argues the city must run EU-wide procurement for large tents.
  • The court said a Europe-wide tender and the following construction could not be completed before the September 19 start of Oktoberfest, so the public interest in avoiding delay outweighed the applicant's request.
  • The decision restores planning certainty for operators who must hire staff, confirm suppliers and begin assembly from late June, and city officials and tent families expressed public relief.
  • The central legal question about whether large-tent awards fall under EU procurement rules remains open and will be decided in the main proceedings with potential consequences for how the Wiesn is allocated in future years.