Upskirting surge at Oktoberfest prompts new penalties and ride-side safeguards

Women attending Oktoberfest are increasingly exposed to covert filming beneath their Dirndls, especially on the Teufelsrad carousel, a trend amplified by widespread smartphone use. Paragraph 184k, enacted five years ago, criminalises upskirting and downblousing with penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment or monetary fines. Online, numerous videos have surfaced on Meta, YouTube and TikTok, some posted by accounts that monetize the content.

In response, the ride now features signage forbidding recording and staff repeatedly remind visitors that upskirting is illegal; they also provide complimentary radlerhosen for added protection. Academic Benjamin Shultz of the University of Neu-Ulm analysed a sample of the videos, noting the difficulty of identifying hidden cameras in crowds. Over the weekend, police apprehended two men for filming women on the ride; after posting a low-four-digit security bond, they were released and barred from the fair for the remainder of the day. Because upskirting is an Antragsdelikt, prosecution only proceeds after a complaint, leaving many victims unaware that they have been recorded.