Between whale, ice beer and disco: Tollwood Festival opens

From 11 a.m., visitors can come to the Tollwood site in Munich’s Olympic Park. They will be welcomed there at the opening by the world record slackliner Friedi Kühne and throughout the festival by a nine-meter high whale sculpture weighing two tons.

Only one day before the opening, the work of art was placed at the entrance with a crane. Leaping out of a heap of rubbish, the whale balances an old tractor tire on the tip of its nose. The work of art is intended to draw attention to “the fragility of our environment and the destructive activities of people”. This also fits the motto of the festival this year: “Clear to the turning point”.

Greenpeace and BUND provide information on the energy transition

Employees from Greenpeace and the Bund Naturschutz will answer questions about the energy transition, for example. They come to a mini-state chancellery with a replica of the prime minister’s office. This is “pretty authentic,” assures the project manager responsible, Daniela Schmid. In any case, the interior includes a Franz Josef Strauss bust and a small windmill. You can listen to a conversation staged by Wolfgang Krebs between Prime Minister Markus Söder and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger about the 10H rule for wind turbines.

More environmental awareness, please!

In a “mom and pop shop,” it is shown how expensive food would be if all subsequent costs for the environment, people, and animals were included. A kilo of minced meat, for example, should therefore cost 18 euros, while it is currently available for less than half that. The journey to the festival should also be as environmentally friendly as possible: “Bike to Tollwood” is the name of one campaign. A team from “Munich on the road” checks the bikes for free every weekend. Even small repairs can be done.

Concerts with national and international stars

The “Tollwood” will last a good month, for which a total of 30,000 square meters will be used again this year, while last year there was a reduced version due to corona. There are also concerts in the big music arena again – for example with Sting, the Simple Minds, Ringlstetter, Spider Murphy Gang and Johnny Depp, who came to Munich from the courtroom in the USA, so to speak, and is at the “Tollwood” after 2018 presented again as a musician. He performs with Jeff Beck, who is considered one of the most talented and important guitarists in the world.

Art and Cuisine

The program also includes international culinary discoveries, as well as art installations, theatre, performances, walk acts, and workshops. Admission is free for 90 percent of the 500 events. The silent disco may still take some getting used to: you only hear the music through headphones and dance to it.

Excursions through the market of ideas

If you want, you can just stroll through the “Market of Ideas”. In total there are almost 200 stands with handicrafts and organic food from many different countries. Fans of really cold beer can also have it served chilled. Half of it costs between 4.10 and 5 euros at “Tollwood”. After all, the festival should be affordable for everyone in every respect, emphasizes spokeswoman Stefanie Kneer.

The festival for art, culture and cuisine lasts until July 17th. Around 900,000 visitors are expected. It is open Monday to Friday from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on weekends and public holidays from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The “Market of Ideas” closes at 11:30 p.m.