00:00Munich's Oktoberfest, the world's largest folk festival traditionally dominated by men,
00:06but increasingly women are taking over typically male jobs, like tent managers, or rickshaw
00:14drivers.
00:15Stop that, do that again and I'll kick you out.
00:22Equality at last, or absolute madness.
00:26The energy is palpable.
00:28Oktoberfest is the highlight of Silja Steinberg's year.
00:32She manages one of the festival's biggest tents, and it's about to officially open.
00:39This may look like a leisurely carriage ride, but Steinberg is full of adrenaline.
00:44Almost 10,000 people are waiting for her.
00:47Tent managers are powerful figures here, and they're typically all men.
00:54Nobody could have imagined it 30 years ago.
00:58Female tent managers at Oktoberfest, that's changed.
01:01But we women who do it grew up with it.
01:07They've made it just in time.
01:11And now?
01:13My dears, welcome to Wiesn 2024 at the beautiful Hofbräu tent.
01:29Time now to tap the first keg.
01:35From this moment on, the hosts can serve their special Oktoberfest beer.
01:39Of the 14 main beer tents, only a few are run by women.
01:52Women like Steinberg.
01:53It's a completely different world to your normal pub, where you serve 365 days a year.
02:01It goes from zero to 100 in the blink of an eye, and then back to zero, although it never
02:06really goes back to zero.
02:08But in terms of the stress level...
02:11Six million people celebrate here every year.
02:14At Oktoberfest, gender roles take centre stage, with dirndls and lederhosen.
02:19Flirting seems almost as integral as the beer itself, but it can quickly turn into drunken
02:25harassment.
02:28When you walk around, it's like a free-for-all.
02:30You do have to be on your guard.
02:33A hand on the butt is nothing unusual.
02:35Someone tried to grope her.
02:37A man just came up and just grabbed her ass.
02:40He put his hand up my butt.
02:42Alcohol and men, it's always the same.
02:45For women, it can become an unsafe environment.
02:48We meet Rickshaw Rosie in front of the festival grounds.
02:52There are an estimated 200 rickshaw drivers in Munich during Oktoberfest.
02:56Some of them are women.
02:59Getting along with drunk and sometimes unpleasant people, while somehow managing to stay cool
03:05and be nice, it's always a challenge.
03:12Rosie's bright lights draw in passengers.
03:15Off we go!
03:18Rosie is self-employed and owns her own rickshaw.
03:22Hi, how are you?
03:25Yeah, I can take three of you.
03:28It's already clear before they set off, this trip will be a challenging one.
03:33You've got great legs.
03:36Watch out.
03:38Legs up.
03:40Don't drop down your pants.
03:43Controlling these passengers isn't easy.
03:46Let's go.
03:49Oh, he's getting off again.
03:53What a guy.
03:56Are you going to behave?
03:59Do you want to continue on?
04:02Then get in.
04:04Inside, they start vandalising the rickshaw.
04:07Do that again and I'll kick you out.
04:10Are you going to cut it out?
04:13I'm kicking you out now.
04:16Finally, they arrive.
04:20Take care, you rascal.
04:25Does that happen a lot?
04:28At this time of night, yes.
04:31That does happen.
04:34One way or another, things get broken every Oktoberfest.
04:37Back at the Hofbräu tent, it's shortly before closing time, but still packed.
04:42Silja Steinberg says you have to know how to take some things
04:46and being a woman can have its advantages.
04:51It is kind of sweet when I come in and my security says,
04:55oh, the boss, and lifts me up or something.
04:58They probably wouldn't do that with a man.
05:01It's really sweet how they treat and value me as a woman.
05:05As a woman among many men.
05:08In her position, Steinberg hasn't had to put up with the kind of harassment
05:12many of the female visitors experience.
05:18I have to say, this job was made for me.
05:22I love it all, the guests, the staff, the organizing.
05:26We make people happy. You can tell, and that's lovely.
05:31Another perk, the millions she generates in sales with her tent.
05:36Others at Oktoberfest earn more of a financial cushion for the year ahead.
05:42I'm a night owl, to be honest.
05:46That's why I don't really mind being out and about at night.
05:50And you really do experience the craziest stories at night.
05:55Be it the stories, the profits, or just plain fun,
05:59there are many reasons why women like Rosi return to work at Oktoberfest year after year.
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