“Ozapft is!” with RASTAL

It will soon be that time of year again: the world’s largest folk festival will begin when the first barrel is tapped in Munich and a thunderous “Ozapft is!” echoes through the Schottenhamel Festhalle. Amidst the music, beer and joyful crowds, one thing is an absolute must: the official Oktoberfest™ collector’s mug from the Bavarian capital of Munich. It has been manufactured exclusively by RASTAL in Höhr-Grenzhausen since 1978. Year after year, it has become a faithful companion to the world’s largest folk festival and is much more than just a souvenir.

Its popularity is no coincidence. The official collector’s mug is released each year with a new motif that always carries a piece of history with it. The Munich-based designer duo Amiera Harithas and Dinah-Charles Francis are responsible for the 2025 design. Their design shows a waitress in a dirndl, symbolically serving up the spirit of the world’s largest folk festival, framed in a stylised stamp design. The motif is dedicated to those who make the festival possible in the first place with their hard work: the waiters, showpeople and many helping hands behind the scenes.

RASTAL, a tradition-rich family business from the Kannenbäckerland region (and member of the PSI network), manufactures the Official Oktoberfest™ Collector’s Mug from high-quality grey stoneware – a skilled craft that draws on over 100 years of history. The mug can be optionally fitted with a handmade pewter lid, which honours prominent Munich personalities each year. This year’s pewter lid features the legendary “Steilwand Kitty”, who kept audiences on the festival grounds in suspense with her daring motorcycle stunts from the 1930s onwards.

Each mug undergoes numerous manual work steps during production. The high-quality workmanship of the mug is evident in its many details, making it a valuable example of traditional craftsmanship. On request, RASTAL still manufactures stoneware and pewter in the masterful tradition of the Kannenbäckerland region. www.rastal.com