MUNICH — As the world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival draws its 16-day run to a close this weekend, a longstanding beloved attraction at the event is at the center of a growing debate over digital privacy, gender-based harassment, and gaps in German legislation targeting invasive upskirting filming.
The Teufelsrad, or Devil’s Wheel, is one of Oktoberfest’s oldest surviving attractions. The spinning circular ride works by accelerating faster and faster until centrifugal force throws riders off the platform. The constant rotation and sudden shifts in speed routinely lift the hems of the traditional dirndl dresses many women wear to the festival, creating an opportunity for bad actors in the crowd to capture invasive footage.
In recent years, thousands of these voyeuristic videos have been uploaded to social media platforms, where some have racked up millions of views. Investigations by local broadcaster BR uncovered that a coordinated network of content creators, including professional YouTubers from Ukraine and local creators from Bavaria, have profited heavily from these clips. One single video reportedly earned its poster upwards of €9,000 (£7,650). According to Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, at least 32,000 invasive videos of Teufelsrad riders are currently in circulation online. Many of the videos clearly show women’s underwear, and some have even been digitally altered to add fake nudity, BR reports.
While filming upskirts is already illegal in Germany, carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison, advocates and observers argue that existing law does not go far enough to address this growing crisis. Elisabeth Polaczy, the 80-year-old operator of the Teufelsrad, has taken matters into her own hands. For three years running, she has offered free cycling shorts to women and girls riding the attraction while wearing dresses, to protect their privacy.
“At this year’s Oktoberfest alone, I’ve distributed more than 100 pairs,” Polaczy told the BBC. “I want to do everything I can to make people feel secure.” She added that while providing the free shorts is not cheap, the effort is worth it for her own peace of mind. The ride’s venue is posted with prominent signs in German and English, alongside official police notices, warning visitors that non-consensual filming is illegal. Still, Polaczy acknowledges that it is impossible to police every visitor with a smartphone, leaving gaps in protection that she is trying to fill. Even some Oktoberfest waitresses have started adopting the practice, wearing cycling shorts under their work dirndls to avoid similar harassment.
Bavarian police have stepped up their own efforts to crack down on the practice, launching a targeted public awareness campaign at the festival starting in 2025. This year alone, officers have already arrested a 45-year-old Swiss man for allegedly filming under a woman’s dirndl with his phone. Police made 10 upskirting-related arrests in 2025 and seven in 2024.
But Josephine Ballon, head of the German non-profit Hate Aid which supports victims of digital gender-based violence, said current legislation fails to cover key scenarios that leave women vulnerable. Ballon explained that existing law only applies to intentional upskirting, not cases where a skirt lifts naturally from the motion of a ride and is still captured on camera. She added that new compact recording devices, such as hidden camera glasses, also create new loopholes that current law does not address. Ballon is pushing for harsher penalties for anyone who non-consensually shares intimate images of women online, as well as for platforms that host the content. Drafting for a new updated law is already in the works, according to Ballon.
City officials in Munich have also taken steps to regulate commercial content creation at the festival. New rules ban unpermitted live streaming from Oktoberfest grounds, and require all professional content creators and influencers to purchase a filming permit in order to capture and monetize footage at the event. Hundreds of permits have been issued to influencers this year, who typically earn revenue from brand sponsorships and product placements posted to their channels.
As the festival closes, the steps taken by Polaczy and city officials highlight a growing recognition of the need to address digital harassment and invasive content creation that disproportionately targets women in public spaces.