The operator of Munich’s Teufelsrad has distributed more than 100 pairs of cycling shorts at Oktoberfest after at least 32,000 voyeuristic videos filmed on the ride circulated online. One clip reportedly earned its poster around €9,000. Filming beneath skirts is illegal in Germany and can carry up to two years’ imprisonment, but victims’ groups say the law does not cover all harms. Munich has banned live streams at the festival and now requires paid permits for commercial filming while police have increased awareness campaigns and arrests.
Oktoberfest Ride Operator Hands Out Cycling Shorts After Tens of Thousands of Voyeur Clips
The famous Teufelsrad, or Devil's Wheel, from which videos are regularly posted online (file picture) [DPA via AP]
The operator of Munich’s Teufelsrad (Devil’s Wheel) has been giving free cycling shorts to women and girls at Oktoberfest after thousands of voyeuristic videos filmed on the ride spread across social media.
Why Shorts Are Being Distributed
The Teufelsrad is one of the festival’s oldest attractions: a circular platform that spins faster and faster until riders are thrown off. The motion frequently causes skirts — including traditional dirndls — to fly up, creating opportunities for illicit filming.
Elisabeth Polaczy, who runs the Teufelsrad, told the BBC she has handed out cycling shorts to riders for the last three years and distributed more than 100 pairs this Oktoberfest alone. “I want to do everything I can to make people feel secure,” the 80-year-old operator said, acknowledging the cost but saying the donations are worth it for peace of mind.
Elisabeth Polaczy says she has handed out more than 100 pairs of cycle shorts this year [DPA via AP]
Scale of the Problem
Regional reporting and police statements describe a major spread of footage: at least 32,000 clips filmed on the Teufelsrad have circulated online, some viewed millions of times. Broadcast investigations say some videos show underwear and, in some cases, have been digitally altered to appear nude. One clip is reported to have earned the poster around €9,000.
Legal and Policy Responses
Under German law, filming beneath someone’s skirt is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison. Despite that, victims’ groups and some politicians say the law does not cover all forms of harm — for example, photos taken when a skirt accidentally lifts and images distributed online.
Josephine Ballon, head of Hate Aid, said current legislation “applies only when you film under the skirt” and urged broader protections for victims as well as penalties for platforms that host intimate images.
Authorities have stepped up public-awareness efforts: Bavarian police have run poster campaigns at Oktoberfest since 2025 warning that upskirting is a crime. This year a 45-year-old Swiss man was arrested for allegedly filming beneath a woman’s dirndl; authorities said they recorded 10 upskirting arrests in 2025 and seven in 2024.
A police poster in Munich timed for this year's Oktoberfest makes clear that "upskirting is a crime" [Bavarian police]
Festival and Platform Controls
Munich city officials have also moved to curb commercial filming at the festival: live-streaming from Oktoberfest is banned and anyone who wants to film for profit must obtain a paid permit. Hundreds of licences were issued this year to influencers who monetise content via sponsorships and product placement.
Polaczy and some festival waitresses say wearing cycling shorts under dirndls has become a common precaution. Experts also warn that new discreet recording technologies, such as camera glasses, make enforcement more difficult.
What Comes Next
Victim-support organisations want legal reform that covers a wider range of non-consensual image-sharing and stronger accountability for platforms that publish voyeuristic content. Meanwhile, grassroots measures — like distributing shorts and clearer signage — aim to give attendees immediate protection and reassurance.
Help us improve.
