Millions on Foot, on Bikes Party on the Autobahn

Outdoor festival includes 20K picnic tables, at least 1 wedding
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 18, 2010 3:13 PM CDT
Millions on Foot, on Bikes Party on the Autobahn
People ride bicycles on the Autobahn in Essen, Germany, which was closed between the cities of Dortmund and Duisburg to celebrate "Still-Life" on Sunday, July 18, 2010.   (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Millions of people flooded a 40-mile stretch of the autobahn today, taking advantage of a car-free summer day to walk, skate, bicycle, eat, drink, and mingle on the A40 motorway, normally the country's busiest. The crowd grew as large as 3 million, and the road had to be closed to cyclists temporarily, the BBC reports. "The motto of the Still-Life event is 'The table is your stage,'" a rep told Sky News. "Anybody can showcase their band, their hobby, their club or their group of friends."

"The longest table in the world," which consisted of 20,000 picnic tables, took up a swath of roadway; diners were expected to include guests from a wedding performed during the festival. Also in the crowd were a contingent of Star Wars fans and musical group called Tuba Libre, reports AFP.
(More Germany stories.)

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