Oberammergau, Germany 
               'Passion Play in 2010'
 
       Please Give this some thought
   This production is a very popular event! By 2008 anyone interested in going to Oberammergau will need
to start thinking through their travel plans and making reservations. 2010 may seem like a long time off, however arrangement will need to be made next year.
                     Only Once Per Decade
In 1632 the town of Oberammergau vowed that if God were to spare them from the effects of the bubonic plague ravaging the region, they would perform a play every ten years depicting the life and death of Jesus. The adult death rate slowly subsided to one in the month of July 1633. The villagers believed they were spared after they kept their part of the vow when the play was first performed in 1634. The most recent performance was in 2000.
The play, now performed repeatedly over the course of five months, during the first year of each decade, involves over 2,000 performers, musicians, and stage technicians, all of whom are residents of the village.
    The Oberammergau play has a running time of approximately seven hours. A meal is served during the intermission of the play. Audiences come from all over the world, mostly on package tours. Admission fees were first charged in 1790. Since 1930, the number of visitors has ranged from 420,000 to 530,000. Most tickets are sold as part of a package with one or two nights' accommodation.