Finding a table in any beer tent is the first priority for most visitors, finding one in the right tent is second.

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As a result, everything from plane tickets to hotel rooms to beer tent table reservations are very hard to come by, and often sell out more than half a year in advance.

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He said he had been drinking beer and whisky and went into the tent "for some peace" when the complainant came in, he said.

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To address the lines and crowding, organizers have overhauled the layout, spread out food tents, boosted the number of cashiers to three per restaurant tent, and upgraded the system for selling beer and wine.

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