One of the largest European spring festivals, the Cannstatter Frühlingsfest, starts on April 17 and will run through May 9.
This year marks the festival’s 72nd anniversary in the Stuttgart suburb of Bad Cannstatt.
The tapping of the first festival beer keg is scheduled for noon on April 17 in the beer tent Wasenwirt, officially opening the festivities at the Wasen, or fairgrounds, adjacent to the Neckar River.
Crunchy Göckele (roast chicken), sweet almonds and cotton candy are among the snack offerings each year. Three beer tents, sponsored by the local breweries, will feature numerous bands.
The traditional variety market adjacent to the fairgrounds will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
This year, the festival features a double looping roller coaster, the Star Flyer chain carousel and a free fall tower.
Every Wednesday (April 21, 28 and May 5), the festival features family days with family-friendly admission tickets. Beer tents and other eateries have children’s menus available.
The festival concludes on May 9 with a fireworks display scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m.
How to get there:
From Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof:
• On the S-Bahn, take the S1, S2 or S3 to Bad Cannstatt Bahnhof, and it’s a five-minute walk to the fest grounds from there.
On the U-Bahn, take the U-11 to the Neckarpark stop at the fest grounds. Parking is available for €5 at the fest grounds, or in the neighboring parking lot.