Press
At Pentecost, young Austrians and Germans gather in Lignano in northern Italy. Three days full of party excesses follow. What remains is rubbish and injuries.
Lignano – “Tutto Gas” is the motto under which tens of thousands of holidaymakers from Germany and Austria descend on the small beach community of Lignano in the north of Italy every year at Pentecost. The community tries to protect itself with bans and an enormous police presence. Nevertheless, the big party ended in excess this year too.
For decades, party-loving holidaymakers, especially from Austria, but also from Germany, have been traveling to the small Adriatic town of Lignano over Pentecost. In Italy they even talk about the “invasion of the Austrians”. The unofficial event has grown steadily over the years. And so a total of 90,000 visitors were expected in 2024, for example Rai News reported.
Party alarm in Italy at “Tutto Gas”: Lignano issues a number of bans
This year, the small community in Italy tried to prepare for the party rush in advance and issued a number of bans. Alcoholic drinks are no longer allowed to be sold in shops from midnight. Alcohol consumption in public spaces was completely banned. Taking drinks in bottles or glasses was also banned, as was wild camping. In addition, music was no longer allowed to be played in public spaces after 1 a.m. Swimming was prohibited after 8 p.m. In addition, the beaches were completely closed between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. It is also forbidden to stroll outside the beach in swimwear such as bikinis or topless.
Lignano had also significantly increased the security staff. In order to deal with the predominantly German-speaking holidaymakers, police officers from South Tyrol and dog units from Trento were called in. In addition, officials from Carinthia supported their Italian colleagues in overcoming the language barrier.
Garbage, violence, topless: Unofficial party in Italian town escalates completely – despite bans
Nevertheless, the party vacationers attacked the city like locusts, as initial reports show, and left great chaos behind after excesses. According to data from Rai News 30 people had to be treated by the rescue team, and 15 men were taken to hospitals due to excessive alcohol consumption. A dozen people were reported for fighting.
According to Italian media, the situation escalated quickly. Smoke bombs were set off, the beach and town were covered with mountains of rubbish, there were violent scenes, and holidaymakers also ignored the topless regulations. Residents also complained about the enormous noise pollution. Since hotels and campsites were fully booked, some holidaymakers without accommodation also spent the night on the beach or in cars. Some young men even slept in flowerbeds.
Party excess in Italy: Austrian police officer takes stock and recognizes a new phenomenon
“From the loss of wallets or cell phones to theft or bodily harm, damage to property – there are really all sorts of crimes from A to Z that can be committed at such major events,” a Carinthian police officer who was on duty in Lignano reported to the ORF. For the first time, the night of Monday, the third of the Pentecost party nights, was the one with the most police operations: “We’ve never experienced that before,” said the police officer about the new phenomenon. Despite the many incidents, he believes that “Tutto Gas” 2024 “on the whole (…) went well” despite a number of incidents.
The Austrian portal 5min The mountain of rubbish after the party nights was particularly negative. Since bottles were forbidden, holidaymakers filled their drinks into plastic cups, which often ended up carelessly on the floor after being emptied. The beach and city are littered with pizza boxes and plastic waste: “It’s really bad, especially near the sea,” reports a reporter for the portal. (rist)
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