Prince of Bavaria bashes Oktoberfest as ‘cultural appropriation’ that’s devolved into ‘wearing a costume to get drunk in’

The Prince of Bavaria is bashing Oktoberfest revelers for “wearing costumes to get drunk” at the German beer festival, calling it “cultural appropriation” and blasting those looking to party rather than celebrate the traditions.

“When I see Chinese-made folk costumes made of plastic, pseudo-costumes with tight dirndls, then the whole thing becomes a carnival,” Luitpold Rupprecht Heinrich told German radio station Antenne Bayern, according to the London Times.

Heinrich, 72, is a member of, and the second in line to, the House of Wittelsbach, and says the low-cost outfits are an insult to the centuries-long festival, that began with the wedding of Ludwig I in 1810, an ancestor of Heinrich.

“We all talk about cultural appropriation today. Here it’s happening to us Bavarians!” Heinrich continued. “If the whole thing is just about wearing a costume to get drunk in . . . you lose a lot of culture and tradition in the process.”

The House of Wittelsbach is the former dynasty that once reigned in the Kingdom of Bavaria until 1918 and is the founder of the König Ludwig Schlossbrauerei, a 150-year-old brewery, where Heinrich is the current CEO and proprietor.

Heinrich says the low-cost outfits are an insult to the centuries-long festival, that began with the wedding of Ludwig I in 1810.Getty Images

Because the brewery is located outside of Munich, the beer is not offered at the festival, something Heinrich has been vocal about, according to the Times of London.

The “costumes” are not the only thing dividing the traditional crowd from the new wave of attendees this year, as a switch to sell organic chickens has raised the price of a go-to meal.

The Paulaner Festzelt tent made the decision to serve all-organic hens as an experiment in hopes to emphasize sustainability, but some are calling it a “Woke Wiesn.”

Two young members of a music band take part in the costume parade on Sept. 17, apart of Oktoberfest 2023.AFP via Getty Images

A traditionally dressed group of women participate in the riflemen’s parade during the 2nd day of Oktoberfest.Getty Images

The annual festival, held every year on the grounds of Theresienwiese from the middle of September to the first week of October, sees roughly 6 million visitors a year.

The 188th Oktoberfest opened last Saturday with the popular fest’s attendees wearing the traditional lederhosen and dirndl dresses, the watching of the Mayor of Munich tapping the first keg, music, and lots of beer drinking.

The festivities began on Sept. 16 and runs to Oct. 3, two days past the traditional ending, in order to include German Unity Day, a public holiday celebrating the 1990 German reunification.