The festival holds a medieval music concert in the Christuskirche at the end of the festival. The audience enjoys watching and listening to musical instruments in their original and good-humoured mood in Bach’s time. Concerts are held in some of the most beautiful and ornate churches in all of Germany, including thomaskirche and traukirche. This ballet company, along with other international ballet companies, comes together to perform in week-long shows that premiere new works.
It’s set on a Cold War satellite tracking station, and there are still huge tracking spheres present at the site. It takes place in five scenarios that complement the interesting and historical place. You’ll witness a lot of up-and-coming and local talent, along with some bigger headliners, but the focus here is on smaller but still great talent from the area.
Each year, a different city hosts the most important ceremonial act, and festivities are enjoyed throughout the country. In this article you will find an overview of the most important German holidays and festivals (when they are and what they are all about). Germany enjoys a number of national and regional holidays and other festivities that take place throughout the year.
MS Dockville is a multi-genre festival that takes place every August around some industrial docks along the River Elbe near Hamburg. Dockville prides itself on its creative expression, with lots of art, markets and more to do, along with the lineup of alternative, rock and electronic giants. The Ikarus Festival literally takes place every summer at an airport, well, on the grounds of an international airport. And yes, you can still fly through quite a few low-cost airlines like RyanAir and WizzAir! Together with six different stages, Ikarus comes with performances, a circus program and more. Echelon Open Air + Indoor Festival has evolved from a one-day techno banger to a three-day techno banger, which as the name suggests takes place in both indoor tents and outdoor stages.
The highlight of this important festival in Germany are the colorful and cheerful street parades with more than 4,000 participants from all over the world. What began as a political statement against xenophobic ideals has grown into a cosmopolitan event, a testament to the friendly and empathetic nature of Germans in general. Watch the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin if you want to experience fun sights and sounds along with delicious cuisines from many different countries. The first thing that comes to mind when we hear about Germany is beer, a lot of beer. For starters, it’s home to many different cities, each with its own identity and charm due to its history dating back thousands of years.
The Bayreuth Festival is another month-long music festival held in honor of one of Germany’s greatest composers; this time Richard Wagner. Held in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth in northern Bavaria, the festival has become a place of pilgrimage for Wagnerians and classical music lovers. They come from far and wide to enjoy watching various operas made by the composer. Today, it is the largest book fair in the world and is considered the most important for international transactions and trade. While the first three days are limited exclusively to professional visitors, the general public can attend on weekends. In 2017, more than 7,300 exhibitors from more than 100 countries participated, attracting more than 286,000 visitors to the fair.
Like Volksfesten, even the smallest cities will have their own Christkindl markets. There’s nothing more welcoming than eating traditional Lebkuchen and drinking warm mulled wine as you walk around and look at beautiful Christmas decorations. Regensburg, for example, has a summer festival every few years where vendors and bandstands are scattered hotel oktoberfest around the city’s Old Town. Many seasonal festivals, such as the aforementioned Frühlingsfest in Nuremberg, can be quite similar to the typical Folk Festivals, with beer tents and all. Walpurgis Night is in honor of the 8th-century abbess Walpurga, who is celebrated by German Christians for fighting disease, rabies, whooping cough and witchcraft.
Cologne, located on the mighty Rhine, is one of Germany’s oldest cities. It houses the UNESCO-listed Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), an incredible example of Gothic architecture. Karneval in Cologne is one of the largest German street festivals, with over a million people on the streets to watch the colorful parade and marching bands. Thousands of festival-goers set up their tents for the weekend festivities around the unique location. These campsites can be considered a festival in themselves, with many small-scale artists setting up unofficial stages throughout the weekend.
Creating what is certainly one of the most diverse posters of all e-festivals in Germany. Previous headliners include Sven Vath, Nina Kraviz, Charlotte de Witte, Aly &Fila, Joseph Capriati, Sebastian Ingrosso, ATB, Fedde Le Grand and Robin Schulz. The festival tends towards house + techno, but also has artists from different backgrounds. Apart from these, the other festivals you must see and experience are Germany Pumpkin Festival, Asparagusfest and Onionfest, Reeperbahn, Walpurgisnacht, etc. That said, if you want to experience Diwali in Germany, be sure to head to the Hafengeburtstag Fest; Believe us, you will be surprised.
It only lasts one day, so there’s no excuse for simply not getting the most out of the best techno in the summer. Together, the two festivals entertain around 130,000 people, with an excellent combination of the best international and German acts. There’s even room for new discoveries, making it the perfect variety line. May Day, May 1, in Germany is characterized by a mix of pagan rituals and also celebrations of workers’ rights.