Thoughts on Maschsee Fest
Tired last night so didn't really comment on Germans at play at Maschsee Fest.
The Fest itself does have live music, acts for children, local radio station special events etc but the main thrust seemed to be eating and drinking with lots of stands around the lake. Food was obviously fast food and mainly German but stalls did represent countries around the world and other foods were on offer, the Yukon themed stall, for example, offering bison burgers.
Beer choices were limited to just a few local breweries but priced very reasonably, €4 for a half litre. All the stalls offered plenty of seating although as the evening went on I suspect seating choices might become limited. People seemed to find a place and settle.
Two really notable differences from UK counterparts (well, there are really no UK counterparts, but, let's imagine). Firstly all the draught beer was in proper glass glasses; as normal for Europe you drink beer out of the correct glass emblazoned with the correct brewery name. To avoid loss all draught beers came with a €2 glass deposit and a small plastic token. Return the glass and token to the stand and get your €2 back. Why the tokens? Each stall had its own, thus ensuring you return your glass to the stall you got it from and not any other. Not that we saw folk wandering around with beer glasses, the norm was to find a table and sit. A few youths were wandering around with bottles. I spotted one with bottle in hand/mouth and his rear pockets stuffed with two empties. Recycling is taken seriously over here and he obviously wanted the deposit back on the empties! Also we got there early enough for various happy hours and the occasional strolling cocktail was spotted but again the norm was to sit and chat.
Another big difference was getting rid of excess beer. There were ample toilets all around the site, many festooned with flowers or gewgaws but each requiring €0.50 for access. Maybe this is the German solution to excess beer drinking? But the upside is that the loos were immaculate and pleasant to use.
As we left for the bus we needed one last "relief" and spotted a large bank of portaloos across from the Fest so tried them. Free they may have been but, you know, €0.50 isn't a huge price to pay for cleanliness.
The emphasis definitely seemed on group fun. Sitting, chatting, laughing over a beer and food with friends.
Seems like a good idea to me.