Oktoberfest 2010 in Munich, Germany smokefree in 2011..

October 12, 2010 - Oktoberfest is the world's largest fair and one of the best festivals in Germany. Every year, over 6 million visitors from all over the world come to Munich to drink beer, eat sausage and join together in song. (Oktoberfest 2010 in Munich, Germany A Comprehensive Guide to Oktoberfest 2010 by Birge Amondson, About.com Guide) Last year festival attracted 5.7 million visitors from all around the world.

Voters in Bavaria passed a statewide smoking ban in July, and it took effect last month. Oktoberfest gets an exception through 2011, but organizers want to conduct a test run during the festival’s 200th anniversary, which starts next week. (Bavaria, Germany - Oktoberfest to be smokefree but not this year..)

Oktoberfest Dates: 2010: September 18 - October 4; 2011: September 17 - October 3; 2012: September 22 - October 7..

Bavarian beer purveyors plan to pour a solution of live bacteria on the floors of Munich's beer tents, in an effort to knock out the inevitable festival smells usually covered up by a fog of cigarette smoke.

Its ill effects aside, cigarette smoke is a pretty effective cover for the putrid smells that accompany boozy revelry — think rotting food scraps, stale beer and, of course, the porta-potty zone. Without a haze of smoke, beer tent organizers fear customers will forgo ordering steins full of the world’s best märzen.

Reference: Munich Deploys Custom Bacteria at Oktoberfest to Devour Ubiquitous Stink of Stale Beer by Rebecca Boyle, POPSCI.com, 9/10/2010.

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