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    Wednesday 12 December 2007

    Smoking Ban To Hit Munich


    The Bavarian Parliament passed a smoking ban today which will commence on January 1st 2008.

    I'm a big fan of the smoking ban in this country and wish Bavarians every success with this, but it's pretty short notice. We had months in this country to prepare. Mind you it tends to be the case that something which takes a long time in this country is done in a jiffy overseas (think Football stadia).

    So the Munich Oktoberfest will be smoke free next year. Not that I will be going, I don't really see the point of a beer festival with so few beers.

    5 comments:

    Stonch said...

    "I don't really see the point of a beer festival with so few beers"

    Sorry Mark but I have to pull you up on that! What are you talking about? Fine, the O-fest isn't to everyone's taste, but surely it's about having a good time, not "ticking off" loads of beers! To be honest I'd be a lot happier if there were British beer festivals in that vein, as opposed to what we actually get.

    The Beer Nut said...

    Why, where do you go to see drunken Spanish teenagers throwing up at one in the afternoon?

    Smoke free Oktoberfest will be much better. The fug in the tents was one of the things that bugged me most. Plus, if people are nipping outside for a smoke, that means greater circulation of seats as well. Theoretically.

    Mark Edwards said...

    But Stonch, I have a good time at every beer festival I go to and am able to enjoy a varying range of beers.

    Although I've never been I have read a lot about Oktoberfest, and it appears it has become an excuse for excessive drunkeness and a competiton to see how many waitresses we can abuse, although as The Beer Nut says, there's a fair amount of vomiting teenagers to keep you entertained.

    Beer Festivals aren't all about ticking off loads of beers but I hazard that the vast majority do work their way through the programme, even if they don't normally drink real ale.

    If I wanted a good time with a limited supply of different beers I'll go to the pub.

    The Beer Nut said...

    I'm with Maeib here. As I wrote after my visit, Wies'n is not a beer festival. It's a festival of drunkenness, which happens to be mainly fuelled by beer. It's not just that there are only six beers available, it's that they're all beers you can buy at any pub in the city, and lots of places around the world, at the same time. You don't go for the beer: you go to get hammered and sing loudly. Admission comes with an implicit licence to be an arsehole for the evening.

    If you want to see a British event in the same vein, trying chucking out time in some godawful city centre at the weekend. It's like that only more crowded and for longer.

    Stonch said...

    I did say the O-fest wasn't to everyone's taste. Perhaps I wouldn't enjoy it either. However, Mark's objection was to the lack of beer choice - which could be levelled at, for example, the Annafest. I have been to that and I did enjoy it - it was brilliant. On the basis of this article, it sounds like Mark would have no time for it. I think that's a shame.

    I suppose it's horses for courses.