Germany — Events
Cannstatter Beer Festival
In terms of size, the Cannstatter Beer Festival in Stuttgart is second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich. Rows of beer lovers sing along to oompa band classics in large marquee tents, washing down their favorite golden liquid with tasty Swabian snacks. An exhilarating fairground is the setting with one of the world’s biggest mobile Ferris wheels, reaching 198 feet (60m), as the backdrop. The celebration takes place over two weeks in the fall.
Stuttgart Wine Village Festival
Wine lovers should head to Stuttgart in the Baden-Wurttemberg region in Germany during fall for the annual Stuttgart Wine Village Festival. Celebrating local wine since 1974, Stuttgart is transformed into a festive village during the beginning of September with 120 wine stalls smattered across the market square, Schillerplatz and Kiurchstrabe. Pouring over 250 unique local wines from Riesling and Trollinger to Müller-Thurgau and Ruländer, the heart of Swabian culture can be found here.
Museum Quay Festival (Museumsuferfest)
The spectacular festival of art and culture on the banks of the River Maine is one of Frankfurt’s most popular outdoor attractions, presenting artists and musicians from around the world. Stalls offer a wide variety of food and drink, and various acts take to the stage. A fireworks display on the last evening brings the festival to a close. For more information email feste@tcf.frankfurt.de or phone +49 (0)69 2123 8990.
Alster Fair
One of the city’s biggest annual summer festivals, the Alster Fair is a celebration of food and drink, music, theater, sporting events, handicrafts and numerous fringe events that provide entertainment for all ages. Part of the fair is the International Fireworks Festival that presents spectacular nightly fireworks displays.
Oktoberfest
For two boozy weeks towards the end September/beginning of October each year all roads in Munich lead to the Theresienwiese, a giant grass meadow about the size of 20 football fields near the center of the city. The occasion is the world’s biggest party, the Munich Oktoberfest. The field becomes a beer-drinking city, complete with its own post office, police force and fire department, and most importantly numerous huge tents, erected by the various Bavarian breweries, that serve as massive beer halls.
Berlin Marathon
Taking runners past most of the famous sights of the historic city, the annual Berlin marathon is one of the most popular in the world, ending at the Brandenburg Gate.
Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest international book fair in the world receiving over 250,000 visitors and book dealers from over 100 countries. The event is largely focused around trade, distribution, and selling though the fair has quite a heritage to it with some 500 years under its belt. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press just outside of Frankfurt in the town of Mainz, and the first fair was held by local publishers shortly afterwards.
Frankfurt Marathon
Over 10,000 runners from professional athletes to nutters in medieval armour take to the streets of Frankfurt for this avidly supported marathon inevitably won by a Kenyan but enjoyed by over 500,000 spectators.
JazzFest Berlin
The Berlin Jazz Festival is one of the world’s premier jazz festivals and the highlight on the Berlin musical calendar, with concerts taking place all over town. Some of the biggest names in the business are attracted to this annual event, with big American names like Herbie Hancock and Lee Konitz, but world music bands also feature on the program.
Christmas Fair
The Frankfurt Christmas Market is one of the biggest and oldest in Germany, dating back to the 14th century, and traditionally Germans would buy their children’s presents, as well as their decorations and seasonal foodstuffs, solely from the market. The entire old town center is transformed into a festive, beautiful marketplace where the scent of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, gingerbread and baked apples mixes with the sounds of Christmas tunes in the crisp winter air.
