Elisabeth Polaczy, the 80-year-old operator of the Teufelsrad ride at Munich's Oktoberfest, has been distributing free cycling shorts to female attendees wearing dresses for the past three years in an effort to prevent upskirting. This year alone, she has given out over 100 pairs, stating her desire to make people feel secure.
Polaczy's initiative comes in response to the circulation of at least 32,000 voyeuristic videos, some reportedly viewed millions of times, allegedly filmed by YouTubers from Ukraine and individuals from Bavaria. The Teufelsrad tent displays signs and police warnings against filming under people's skirts, but Polaczy acknowledges the difficulty in controlling smartphone use.
Some waitresses at the festival have also adopted the practice of wearing cycling shorts under their traditional dirndls. Bavarian police have run poster campaigns warning against upskirting since 2025. In the current year, authorities arrested a Swiss man for filming under a woman's dirndl. Previous years saw 10 arrests for upskirting in 2024 and seven in 2023.
Josephine Ballon, head of the non-profit Hate Aid, which supports victims of digital violence, argues that current German law offers insufficient protection. She notes that legislation primarily addresses filming under skirts, but not instances where skirts are simply photographed as they fly up. Ballon advocates for punishing those who upload intimate images and the platforms that host them, also expressing concern over new camera glasses.
In parallel, the city of Munich has implemented stricter regulations for influencers and content creators filming at Oktoberfest. Live streams from the festival are now banned, and filming requires a permit issued by the city for a fee. Hundreds of such licenses have been granted this year to influencers who monetize their content through product placement and sponsorships.
![Elisabeth Polaczy, the operator of the Teufelsrad, stands in front of the traditional "Teufelsrad" ride. She is holding a red pair of cycling shorts while wearing a green and white traditional German dress.]( "Elisabeth "Lisi" Polaczy, the operator of the Teufelsrad, stands in front of the traditional "Teufelsrad" ride. She is holding a red pair of cycling shorts while wearing a green and white traditional German dress.")