At Munich’s Oktoberfest, women and girls wearing traditional dresses have been given free cycling shorts to help prevent upskirting on the popular Teufelsrad amusement ride. The measure comes after an investigation uncovered tens of thousands of videos circulating online that secretly recorded under women’s skirts while on the ride.
The Teufelsrad, known in English as the Devil’s Wheel, is one of the beer festival’s oldest attractions. It rapidly spins, and riders strive to remain seated as the wheel turns. Many of the voyeuristic videos discovered showed women’s dirndl dresses riding up, unintentionally exposing their underwear to unauthorized filming.
Extent of the Problem and Legal Context
Research by the Munich newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed more than 32,000 videos related to the Teufelsrad available on Meta platforms alone, with some clips garnering millions of views. Upskirting—filming under someone’s skirt without consent—has been illegal in Germany since 2020, punishable by fines or up to two years in prison. However, activists argue that the law has not been sufficient to deter these actions.
Response by Ride Operators and Authorities
Elisabeth Polaczy, the 80-year-old operator of the Teufelsrad, spoke to the BBC about the steps taken to increase safety and privacy. She has distributed more than 100 pairs of cycling shorts during the current Oktoberfest, which ends Sunday, aiming to help women feel more secure while enjoying the ride. Despite signs and police posters in both German and English around the tent warning against illicit filming, Polaczy noted the challenges in policing smartphone use among the crowds.
A Bavarian police spokesperson told the BBC that warning posters about upskirting have been displayed at Oktoberfest since 2025. Law enforcement arrested a 45-year-old Swiss man this year for filming under a woman’s dirndl at the festival. In previous years, police recorded 10 arrests in 2025 and seven in 2024 related to upskirting offenses.
Continued Concerns Over Privacy and Safety
The distribution of cycling shorts represents a proactive attempt by ride operators to protect festivalgoers amid ongoing concerns about privacy violations. While legal measures exist, the persistence of voyeuristic filming at Oktoberfest highlights the difficulties in fully preventing such abuses in crowded, public settings dominated by mobile device use.
