GERMANY: Traditional Oktoberfest parade arrives at festival grounds in Munich

Record ID: 449783

  • Title: GERMANY: Traditional Oktoberfest parade arrives at festival grounds in Munich
  • Date: 20th September 2010
  • Summary: MAN CARRYING LARGE BAVARIAN FLAG WALKING PAST, WAVING DRUMMERS WALKING PAST FEET WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL COSTUMES WALKING PAST HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES WITH DECORATED HORSE WALKING PAST HIGH SHOT OF HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE ARRIVING AT OKTOBERFEST GROUNDS
  • Embargoed: 5th October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA69YQ26FQ9BVYA4ZPONCPW1EKC
  • Story Text: Thousands of Munich Oktoberfest visitors watch a colourful parade of horse-drawn carriages, brass bands and members of Bavarian gun clubs dressed in traditional costumes making their way to the world's largest beer festival where smokers complain of a smoking ban introduced for the first time in the event's 200-year-old history.
    The traditional Oktoberfest parade of horse-drawn carriages, brass bands and members of Bavarian gun clubs dressed in traditional costumes drew thousands of spectators in Munich on Sunday (September 19).
    Some 8,600 people in colourful traditional costumes, musicians and riders made their way to the world's largest beer festival, which kicked off a day earlier.
    For the first time in its 200-year-old history, Oktoberfest organisers banned smoking inside the 14 large beer tents, enraging some smokers while others shrugged off the new law.
    Sepp Klotz, a regular at the Oktoberfest and from Munich, said that the lack of smoke clouds inside the tents meant a "noticeable" odour because "people are sweating and it smells."
    "It's always been a part of Bavarian and Munich cosiness (Gemuetlichkeit) to be able to smoke inside the beer tents. Now there is this problem of having to walk outside. I think it totally sucks," Klotz said.
    Sara Wildbrett, another smoker from Bavaria, said "sooner or later I am going to smoke inside anyway," adding "once no one notices anymore."
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