The state of emergency behind the fire door

The back door of Arabellastraße 23 squeaks when you open it. I walk through this door every week: an ordinary fire door, heavy, grey and a little scratched. A typical office. When I arrive at Arabellapark on the morning of 18 July, nothing is as usual. I turn the corner to the back entrance on Arabellastraße with my usual vigour and stop abruptly. "Access closed due to event", reads a notice stuck to a barrier tape. I turn around and head for the main entrance. It's busier than usual. Shouts, clattering and clinking glasses come from the Burda Bar. A dozen colleagues are waiting in front of the lifts. On the way to the sixth floor, my eyes fell on the poster on the right wall of the lift: "Una Notte Speciale" is written in bold red, green and blue letters. There are small symbols underneath: A slice of pizza, a beer mug, ice cream, the sun. The poster reads: Today is summer party in Munich.

The working day passes more quickly than usual. Every office on the floor is full, the atmosphere vibrating with anticipation. "See you later?" echoes through the corridors. At 5pm it was time to get back in the lift and head down to the party. The silver door opens and I step out into the corridor. Another door, past the canteen. And then the last one: the door that was locked this morning. I walk through it and enter another Burda. 

We are in Bavaria, right in the middle of it, with all our senses: The marching and folk music I know from the Oktoberfest reached my ears. Loud laughter, a Paulaner beer trolley, several beer tables with diamond-shaped napkins and pretzel stands. Blue and white balloons as far as the eye can see. Only the lederhosen are missing. The smell of crispy fried chicken (they call it Hendl) makes my mouth water. Past a cheese spaetzle (Käsespätzle) gondola and the folk festival classic "Hau den Lukas", La Dolce Vita beckons a few steps further on. 

The smell of pizza dough, fresh basil and grilled vegetables overshadows everything else. Bright orange Aperol umbrellas, comfy deck chairs and an ice-cream van selling mango, pistachio, caramel and chocolate. At 29 degrees, the sun is no worse than in Tuscany and shines right into the Burda Bar. With "Tutto Bene" and "Dolce Vita" written on cushions and flags, our compatriot Sebastiano is now fully immersed in his role as barista. Here you can relax.

And where to next? Those who dominate the festival today dance back and forth between Bavaria and Italy, an Aperol Spritz in one hand and a Paulaner Helles in the other. The tables are covered with programmes detailing all the culinary delights on offer: If you don't like roast chicken, there's also Bavarian Steckerlfisch. With six different types of wood-fired pizza, it's hard to choose. And if you don't like Italian or Bavarian food, you can try French-style crêpes with chocolate cream. As a festival professional, I try chicken, cheese spaetzle, gluten-free pizza, ice cream, crêpes - and beer and Aperol Spritz several times. 

With a full belly, there are still some fun programme points to discover: A map on the back of the programme will help you find your way around. Outside, the band "Glump" creates a great atmosphere with their own songs and well-known cover versions, while inside the Burda Box is transformed into a Sala Giochi: slot machines, air hockey and pinball are constantly being seized by enthusiastic colleagues. My team prefers to stay outside and practice their punching power with the others on the "Hau den Lukas"; time and again, the winner's bell rings across the courtyard, accompanied by the cheers of the onlookers. And right in the middle of it all: the Burda family. Hubert Burda and his children Lisa and Jacob have come in person to greet the staff and join in the celebrations. 

My personal highlight: the karaoke lounge. As I entered the Burda Box, someone was belting out Bryan Adams' "Summer of 69" and the audience was joining in. I join in with my colleagues ("Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in...") and after a quick round of beer pong we storm the dance floor in the Burda Bar. The keyword here is Italo disco - and we dance to Italian hits from the 80s until our feet hurt. 

As I leave the party after midnight, I pass through the door that was the gateway to another Burda. A Burda in a state of emergency. A place where I met new colleagues today and saw familiar faces again. A place where over a thousand colleagues had a good time together. We celebrated. And we will remember this day. As I wait for the lift, the music drowns out the sounds of the office. The fire door is now a normal door again - but after that night it will always be special to me.