Oktoberfest put a pause on its annual appearance at George’s Dock due to allegations of a dangerous ‘claims culture’. Instead a slice of Bavaria is coming to Jam Park this year.

For almost ten years Oktoberfest has been held at the IFSC in Dublin however this year their annual takeover at George’s Dock has been cancelled. Luckily Jam Park are fulfilling all your Bavarian Beverage needs and providing their own take on the event.

Eatyard are bringing a slice of Bavaria to Swords, filling the void left by the cancellation  of the event in the IFSC they are throwing their own Oktoberfest at Jam Park.

Prior to this Oktoberfest Dublin cited ‘Unprecedented increases in premiums’ and referred to the ‘Claims culture’ in Ireland being at the core of their withdrawal this year in a statement on Facebook.

“In Germany we are not used to the claim culture that has developed in Ireland and therefore we have decided to take a break this year. The belief that putting in an insurance claim doesn’t hurt anyone except the insurance company is incorrect, consequently great fun events like ours find it hard to go ahead when suspect insurance claims from a small minority of people can ruin it for everybody”.

There is a growing narrative of fraudulent claims and ‘claims culture’ persisting in today’s society. However this slant against the backdrop of astronomical increases in insurance company profits and a decrease in personal injury cases leaves the assertions sounding dubious.

Assurances that the government want to quell said claims culture fall flat when Maria Bailey is only given a slap on the wrist after the ‘Swing-gate‘ debacle.

Increasing prices on what is essentially a captive audience when the number of personal injury claims has actually decreased is indicative of a dangerous insurance industry culture that seeks to profit exaggerated concerns over fraudulent claims.

In a city where soaring rent prices are squeezing out much needed creative spaces and cultural hubs, increased liability insurance premiums and a hesitancy to cover this market are unwelcome additions to the gradual erosion of Dublin’s cultural identity.