Kastenlauf

Kastenlauf, literally beer crate-running, is a team drinking race held across Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Teams of at least two runners carry a full crate of beer along a course typically five to twelve kilometers long, and every runner must finish drinking the crate's contents before the team crosses the finish line; empty bottle caps are kept rather than discarded to avoid littering the route. The first team to empty its crate and cross the line wins. Organized Kastenlauf events in Munich have been documented since 1982 and remain popular with young people traveling to beer festivals, especially on an opening day. A related 2010 event in the Swiss canton of Baselland, called a Harassenlauf, was declared illegal for lacking a proper permit and drew a large police presence, though the confrontation stayed largely peaceful.