Wouldn't happen in Germany
Me and 5 mates are looking to go to Oktoberfest this year, just wondering if anyones been and if anyone has tips on where to stay - we want to do it as cheap as possible!! Flights don't appear to be an issue - about £60 each, but VERY hard to find anywhere cheap to stay!!!! Also, what sort of money are you looking at over a long weekend (Fri-Tues)? I'm budgeting for about £600 inc flights and board - is this too little?? I thought I would ask the all knowledgable brain trust that is NSC as I'm sure there are many other like minded beer and lederhosen affecionado's on here
People do get stupidly drunk at Oktoberfest, apparently last year among the many lost things left behind by revellers were walking sticks, wheelchairs (seems beer does work miracles) and over 50 children! Yes, 50 children were accidentally left behind in Munich last year at Oktoberfest...
I used to work with someone who was paramedic at the Oktoberfest. He told me the festival has the same medical aid status at a war zone and an emergency disaster all rolled into one.
He was exaggerating .............
He explained it quite well and it seemed plausible. From what I recall the equivalent war zone level is a status when you have many more casualties than staff. And the emergency disaster thing is when they had the power to use local school halls as field hospitals. He wasn't suggesting people with blown off limbs and bullet wounds were being treated, more to do with the sheer volume of casualties which were mainly fractured/broken limbs and drunkeness.
The bit that surprised me was the 5m + visitors, seems an outrageous amount, yeah I knew what your colleague was saying, was just me being a pratt !!
It was me that said that. I was told "over 5m" while I was in Munich. Just looked it up and according to this site it is 7.2 million!
http://www.oktoberfest.net/oktoberfest-statistics/