Stuttgart Spring Festival (in German called Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest or sometimes vernacular Cannstatter Wasen or just Wasen) is an annual fair that takes place in the German city of
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
between the middle of April and the beginning of May. The festival takes place on the ''
Cannstatter Wasen
The Cannstatter Wasen is a 35 hectare festival area on the banks of the Neckar river in the part of Stuttgart known as Bad Cannstatt.
The Cannstatter Wasen form part of the Neckar Park Fairground.
Each year the Wasen hosts the Cannstatter Vol ...
'', traditional fairgrounds in Stuttgart's
Bad Cannstatt district. It is slightly smaller than the
festival in the autumn (and therefore occasionally also called the "small Wasen"), but it is the largest spring festival in Europe. Like the autumn fair, the Frühlingsfest offers a variety of fairground attractions. The tallest attraction is the 47 metre
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...
and the fair almost invariably features a major roller coaster.
The Frühlingsfest starts on a Saturday with the traditional opening of a beer barrel by the Stuttgart mayor.
The
Fruit Column
The fruit column (German: ''Fruchtsäule'') is a wood column decorated with fruits in Stuttgart, Germany.
It weighs 3.5 tons and is remains the landmark of the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart although it is towered by numerous roundabouts. Alrea ...
, a tall wooden structure decorated with fruits, was introduced to the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest in 1995. Originally it was only present at the autumn Volksfest but in 1995 it was left to stand on the festival site all year round. However, in later years, this practice was changed and once again the column began to be dismantled in the autumn of each year, leaving just the base. This carried a large can during the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest.
Periods of operation
*The festival opened Monday - Friday at noon, Saturday, Sunday and holidays at 11 am.
*Closing time was 11 pm on Sunday - Thursday and midnight on Friday, Saturday and before holidays.
*Musical performances ended in the main tents half an hour before closing.
See also
*
Beer festival
A beer festival is an event at which a variety of beers are available for purchase. There may be a theme, for instance beers from a particular area, or a particular brewing style such as winter ales.
Asia
China
*Qingdao International Beer Fes ...
*
The autumn fair in Stuttgart (Cannstatter Wasen)
External links
*
Stuttgarter Fruehlingsfest Official Website
Beer festivals in Germany
Festivals in Stuttgart
Spring festivals
Tourist attractions in Stuttgart
Annual events in Germany
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