Behind the scenes

Kaiser Wiesn: Up to 20,000 liters of beer per day

The "Beerjet" is in constant operation and cools the beer down to one degree.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

The "Krone" took a look behind the scenes of Vienna's biggest folk festival in the Prater. Because there is a lot of hard work behind the fun.

While the Munich Oktoberfest comes to an end in a few days, the Kaiser Wiesn in the Prater is still in full swing. Together with "Kaiser" and Wiesn boss Johann Pittermann and Wiesbauer Managing Director Thomas Schmiedbauer, the "Krone" took a look behind the scenes of Austria's biggest folk festival.

Wiesbauer boss Schmiedbauer and "Kaiser" Pittermann (right) are happy about full tents.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Security is a top priority
Security checks at the two entrances have been massively tightened compared to previous years, but this does not detract from the good atmosphere on the festival grounds. "Last weekend was the most successful in Wiesn history," says Pittermann happily.

And that is also thanks to the many hard-working employees. The Gösser tent alone has room for 2700 guests, the Wiesbauer for 1400, and they want to be fed. "From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., two employees are assigned to preparing the food alone," explains Florian Pöttler, catering manager for the Wiesbauer and Gösser tents. Sometimes 3,500 dishes are served here in two hours. "We produce non-stop and not per order. That would not be possible on this scale," says Pöttler. Every evening, 100 waiters are on the go, plus 40 employees in the kitchen and bar.

Head chef Manuel Gratzl takes care of the guests' physical well-being.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

The "Beerjet" as a hard-working employee
The "Beerjet" is constantly filling the beer mugs - between 10,000 and 20,000 are sold every day (!). "You won't find beer as fresh as ours anywhere else. I taste it personally every year before it's filled," says Pittermann.

Wiesn veteran Schmiedbauer has been supplying the Wiesbauer meat for Stelze and Co. since the beginning: "When you walk through in the evening and hear people say, let's meet in front of the Wiesbauer tent, it's just nice."

The technology is also in constant use.(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

The Wiesn will be remembered
The technicians are also on duty around the clock to provide the right sound and lighting. And the cleaning staff should not be forgotten either. They all ensure that the hours spent at the Kaiser Wiesn will be remembered.