After a two-year break, the Oktoberfest – the world’s largest folk festival – opened its gates again for its 187th edition on September 17 with German freerunning star Jason Paul celebrating its return thanks to a series of spectacular flips and jumps in Munich.
The former Red Bull Art of Motion champion is known globally for his amazing projects such Last Call for Mr Paul which has 158M views on Youtube and Jason Paul Freerunning Illusions.
For his latest project, the 31-year-old stayed in his native Germany to celebrate the return of Oktoberfest which has opened up tents and rides to millions of visitors from around the world.
Even before the traditional tapping by Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter, Paul prominently displayed his somersaulting skills at the entrance arch of the festival site by precisely performing a backflip on a small platform where the Münchner Kindl (Munich’s heraldic figure) usually greets visitors.
Dressed in the traditional Oktoberfest costume, he also performed side flips in the marquee and a climb up a 90-metre high chain carousel as the workers prepared to greet visitors until October 3.
Paul also got off in ejection-seat fashion from the bumper cars while crowds applauded the classic “Pitt’s wall of death” ride (eight-metre-high wooden cauldron), where the freerunner set off on a wall flip – a backward somersault off the wall – while a steep-wall biker whizzed past above him.
He went up the treadmill of the “Toboggan” tower slide in a handstand and onto the Bayern Tower with a panoramic view of Bavaria’s capital where a camera drone captured images for the first time.
Frankfurt native Paul said: “I have visited in the past and checked every tent and stand for parkour possibilities. It’s a unique feeling to be able to practice my sport at our largest folk festival and in this terrific atmosphere.”
Clemens Baumgärtner, the City of Munich’s Department of Labor and Economic Affairs and thus head of the Wiesn, hailed Paul’s visit this year and emphasised the importance of this special partnership.
He added: “Jason Paul’s jumps are in a class of their own. But so is the Wiesn. The largest folk festival in the world offers a unique stage for a great athlete. What could be a better match?” (Red Bull Content Pool)
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