How safe is the Penzberg Folk Festival?

The knife attack at the town festival in Solingen, in which three people died and several were injured, is also casting a shadow over the Penzberg folk festival. How safe is a visit? What safety precautions have been taken? And what do festival guests have to be aware of? The police and public order office provide answers.

It started yesterday Friday: the Penzberger Wiesn 2024. Many people in the city and the region were looking forward to this event in advance: to celebrating with friends in the festival tent, to seeing children's eyes light up while riding the carousel or to ending the day with a liter of beer after work. But after the attack in Solingen a few days ago, in which a man randomly stabbed visitors to the city festival with a knife, some people in Penzberg may also be unsure how safe the festival tent and grounds on the Berghalde are this year.

As the new festival host Robert Schmidt informed in response to inquiries, there was a meeting with representatives of the police and the public order office of the city of Penzberg on Thursday afternoon, one day before the start of the festival. This year's security concept for the major event was developed, taking the current security situation into account.

Security personnel should be even more vigilant this year

As Joachim Bodendieck, head of the public order office, announced, during this meeting festival host Schmidt was asked to expressly “sensitize the security company's staff to be vigilant” and to show “increased attention” in view of the events in Solingen. As a spokesman for the Penzberg police added, the private company's security forces should pay particular attention to knives being carried. In order to detect these and other weapons, there will be bag checks at the entrances to the festival tent, said Bodendieck – but only “randomly”, as has been the case in previous autumns. Checking every single person when entering the tent is not possible, especially during peak times. This would lead to long waiting times and annoy festival visitors. The police spokesman also stressed that in a tent that can accommodate around 1,600 people, “you can't check every single person down to their underwear”. In order to avoid having to search through your own bag, he advises visitors to the festival tent to leave large backpacks and the like at home, because you don't need large bags in the tent.

The number of security guards this year is not higher than in previous years, said Bodendieck. He justified this by saying that the Penzberg Wiesn had always been peaceful in previous years. There have been no major incidents. Security will not only be vigilant at and in the tent, but will also patrol the festival grounds. Bodendieck does not want to say how many security guards will be on site in total.

The police will be visible

As in previous years, the police will also be present at the festival, assures the spokesman for the Penzberg police station. However, since they are a “small department”, police officers from the mining town will be supported by police officers from Murnau on evenings when there are expected to be a large number of visitors – this has been the case in the past. This year, however, even more support from Murnau has been requested. So that visitors feel safe and can enjoy the event, the police will also be clearly visible. This requires a delicate touch, because: “It should not be destroyed, it should not become a police festival.”

A dangerous situation exists

“There is a risk situation,” admits Bodendieck. As the city also announced in a press release on Friday, the abstract risk situation from Islamist terrorism is currently high. The police and other security authorities are therefore extremely vigilant. For Bavaria, however, there are currently no concrete indications of a planned attack, stresses Bodendieck. He appealed to festival-goers to “be alert” and to immediately report any unusual observations to the security staff on site – “but you shouldn't let that stop you from celebrating.” And festival host Schmidt assures: “Everything is organized for the safety of festival-goers.”