As long as it's in a public place where you can easily get away from them if it turns out to not be as you expected, and you're sensible about it, you should be fine. Unfortunately don't have any personal experiences to tell, but that seems to be the basics of it.
Perhaps it's not your mates winding you up before you go and make a fool of yourself! Unlikely, but worth a quick check! Maybe a short telephone conversation to confirm details would offer a little bit of extra security it is who they say as well.
I think the whole thing is blown way out of proportion by the media and a lot of people. You'll be fine, have fun!