After it was revealed that plans were being made to hold an Oktoberfest in Dubai this year, the German city of Munich has released a statement distancing itself from the proposed event.
In the statement, city authorities in Munich expressly stated that Oktoberfest - which is held annually in the city in Bavaria but has now been cancelled for two years in a row due to coronavirus - "is a Munich original and takes place exclusively in Munich."
The statement added that the Oktoberfest event being held in Dubai is being carried out “neither with the participation nor with the consent of the city of Munich". The organiser for Munich’s Oktoberfest, Clemens Baumgärtner, further criticised the idea of moving the festival of German beer to Dubai, branding the proposal as "absolutely absurd." In a conversation with German news agency DPA, he also expressed the original beer festival's intent to “explore all legal options”.
Reports last week about the possibility of Oktoberfest taking place in Dubai caused outrage on social media in Germany. The Dubai event is being organised and promoted by Charles Blume, a key organiser of the Berlin Christmas market, alongside former Munich restaurateur Dirk Ippen, who now lives in Dubai.
The event in Dubai is set to feature a high-profile celebrity lineup, and is scheduled to take place from October 2021 to March 2022 - at the same time as the Dubai World Expo. Rumoured stars taking part in the event include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pamela Anderson.