Visitors from around the world celebrate company’s 100th anniversary at BMW Festival in Munich.

International BMW Clubs present largest-ever exhibition of vintage BMW models with around 1,000 cars and motorcycles

BMW Welt breaks all previous visitor records with 33,000 guests

BMW Festival Night: Fans at packed Olympic Stadium enjoy BMW centenary show with national and international stars.

Munich. With a unique combination of past, present and future vision of mobility, the BMW Group and visitors from all over the world celebrated the company’s 100th anniversary at the BMW Festival in Munich last weekend. Through tours of the “100 Masterpieces” exhibition at the BMW Museum, a wide range of activities inside and outside BMW Welt and the presentation of countless automotive treasures by the international BMW Clubs on the parking lots of the Olympic Park, thousands of visitors enjoyed an atmospheric journey through time and the history of the company.

Over the course of the day, more than 33,000 visitors experienced the festival atmosphere at the extensive event venue in the late-summer sunshine. The centenary celebration culminated in the BMW Festival Night at the Olympic Stadium, hosted by TV personality Thomas Gottschalk. The audience in the packed stadium relived great moments from the company’s history illustrated by musical and dance performances showcasing national and international artists.

BMW Clubs from around the world present around 1,000 classic models on the parking lots of the Olympic Park.

The BMW Festival got underway on the parking lots of the Olympic Park, which hosted the largest-ever exhibition of vintage BMW cars and motorcycles. The 1,000 or so classic cars were lovingly presented by proud members of numerous BMW Clubs from Germany and many other countries around the globe, providing impressive proof of the lasting appeal of “Sheer Driving Pleasure” across national borders and all periods of automotive history. 

More than 2,500 active members of the international BMW Club scene made the trip to Munich for the BMW Festival. The greatest distance travelled was by members of the “Vintage Car Club of America”, as well as fans from Brazil and New Zealand. 

Ulrich Knieps, head of BMW Group Classic, was impressed by the BMW Clubs’ commitment: “What we have seen here today is living automotive and motorcycle history – something you won’t find in any archive, any museum or any history book. This is a unique worldwide community, united by an unbridled passion for “Sheer Driving Pleasure”.

Exciting duels on the racing simulator and cool “100 Years of Ice Cream”: BMW Welt breaks all previous visitor records.

BMW Welt welcomed a record 33,000 visitors.

Visitors of all ages were invited to wonder and participate themselves, both inside and outside the BMW Welt. The benefits of intelligent all-wheel-drive were demonstrated on test drives on the BMW xDrive track. Inside the BMW Welt, racing fans not only had the chance to admire vintage competitive race cars, but also test their own skills in dramatic duels on the BMW M4 DTM racing simulator. Experiencing the BMW VISION NEXT 100 live was a major highlight of the future exhibition located inside the BMW Welt. The BMW VISION NEXT 100 is one of four vision vehicles the company designed for each of its brands to mark the centenary.

For children and younger visitors, the BMW Junior Campus also added new attractions, focusing on presentation of different kinds of robots that could be programmed by younger guests with some guidance. Refreshingly cool, and therefore extremely popular, was the “100 Years of Ice Cream” served inside BMW Welt in the brand’s signature white and blue colours. 

BMW Festival Night: Audience at sold-out Olympic Stadium experiences emotionally-powerful centenary show.

In an atmospheric and entertaining combination of mobility and musical history, the BMW Festival Night audience relived the most important periods in the evolution of the BMW Group. Inside the Munich Olympic Stadium, host Thomas Gottschalk accompanied them on a journey through time, from the early years all the way to the company’s visions for the future of “Sheer Driving Pleasure”.

The stars of the centenary show were top musical and dance artists, performing alongside legendary automobiles and motorcycles. The programme featured classical music from the Munich Philharmonic and renowned soprano Eva Lind, as well as the sounds of the rock and roll era from German entertainer Peter Kraus. The show returned to the 21st century with performances by four-time breakdance world champions Flying Steps and British group Simply Red. Current and future musical trends were represented by Eurovision Contest winner Lena and the band Sunrise Avenue.

The closing act of the centenary show was the duet between Sunrise Avenue star Samu Haber and singer-songwriter Niila. The two performed the song “A Hundred Years”, specially written for the BMW Group’s centenary celebration, for the first time live. 

Hildegard Wortmann, head of the BMW brand said, 

“BMW thrives on the enthusiasm and emotions of its employees, its customers and its fans. Together, we have successfully shaped 100 years of automotive history – together, we are now embarking on the next 100 years. The tremendous response of our customers and fans to the BMW Festival and BMW Festival Night testifies to the strength of our brand. Most of all, I would like to thank the many employees and all our partners who have made this special day possible.”

If you have any questions, please contact:

BMW Group South Africa

Edward Makwana, Manager: Group Product CommunicationsBMW Group South Africa

Tel: +27-12-522-2227, Mobile: +27-71-666-2227

Email: edward.makwana@bmw.co.za

BMW Festival and BMW Festival Night

Christine Graeber, Corporate Communications, Press spokesperson

BMW Group THE NEXT 100 YEARS Christine.Graeber@bmw.com , Tel: +49 89 382-59355, Fax: +49 89 382-24418

Bernhard Ederer, Corporate Communications, Press spokesperson

Marketing and BMW Welt

bernhard.ederer@bmwgroup.com, Tel: +49 89 382-28556, Fax: +49 89 382-24418

BMW Group Classic and BMW Clubs

Stefan Behr, Corporate Communications,

BMW Group Classic, head of Media Communications and Events

Stefan.Behr@bmw.de, Tel: +49 89 382-51376, Fax: +49 89 382-24418

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