The Annafest is a
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian languages, Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three Regierungsbezirk, administrative ...
n
folk festival
A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods.
Handicra ...
held yearly about 26 July (
St. Anna's day) in the ''Kellerwald'' ("Cellar Woods") in the town of
Forchheim
Forchheim () is a town in Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) in northern Bavaria, and also the seat of the administrative district of Forchheim. Forchheim is a former royal city, and is sometimes called the Gateway to the Franconian Switz ...
. It started in 1840.
The area is known for Bierkellers, or beer cellars, that showcase their food and drinks during the festival. The festival also offers carnival rides and live musical performances.
The festival's food stands sell German sausages, barbecued food, platters and fried fish as well as non-consumables. The Annafest contains seating for about 30,000, and the Kellerwald provides enough space for the 45,000 – 50,000 visitors who come each day, and up to 600,000 during the 10 days festival period.
Annafest's history
The local breweries Hebendanz, Greif, Eichhorn and Neder all brew a strong
Bock
Bock is a strong beer in Germany, usually a dark lager. Several substyles exist, including:
*Doppelbock (''Double Bock''), a stronger and maltier version
*Eisbock (''Ice Bock''), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and ...
beer specially for this festival, the so-called ''Annafestbier''. This is stored for several weeks before the festival begins.
Dates
* 2006: July 22 – July 31
* 2007: July 21 – July 30
* 2008: July 26 – August 4
* 2009: July 25 – August 3
* 2010: July 24 – August 2
* 2011: July 23 – August 1
* 2012: July 21 – July 30
* 2013: July 20 – July 29
* 2014: July 25 – August 4
* 2015: July 24 – August 3
* 2016: July 22 – August 1
* 2017: July 21 – July 31
* 2018: July 20 – July 30
* 2019: July 26 – August 5
* 2020: July 24 – August 3 (cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
)
* 2021: July 23 – August 2 (cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
)
* 2022: July 22 – August 1
* 2023: July 21 – July 31
* 2024: July 26 – August 5
* 2025: July 25 – August 4
The beer and the cellars
At the Forchheimer Annafest, beer is served in 23 cellars , which are divided into "upper" and "lower" cellars due to their location on the slope of the Kellerberg.
The 13 lower cellars and their beers are:
Schindlerkeller (Brauerei Greif), Greif-Keller (Brauerei Greif), Schäffbräu Keller* (Schanzenbräu), Hebendanz-Keller (Brauerei Hebendanz), Mahrs-Bräu-Keller* (formberly Kronen-Keller, Mahrsbräu), Fritz-Schneider-Keller* (Brauerei Simon), Winterbauer-Keller (Brauerei Först), Brauerei Hofmann (St.-Georgen-Bräu), Schaufel-Keller, Kaiser-Keller* (Veldensteiner Kaiser-Bräu), Brauwastl-Keller* (Brauwastl), Nürnberger-Tor-Keller* (Brauerei Nikl), Fäßla-Keller* (Veldensteiner Kaiser-Bräu).
The 10 upper cellars are:
Schlößla-Keller (Brauerei Hebendanz), Glocken-Keller (Brauerei Rittmayer), Stäffala-Keller (Veldensteiner Kaiser-Bräu), Eichhorn-Keller (Eichhorn), Weiß-Tauben-Keller* (Täubla), Hoffmanns Keller (Brauerei Greif), Schwanen-Keller* (Zirndorfer Landbier), Neder-Keller (Neder-Brauerei), Schützenkeller (all Forchheimer beers), Blümleins-Keller* (Eichhorn).
The beer cellars marked with * are only open during the Annafest. The others are open in the summer season (usually from May 1 to the end of September). A few are also open in winter.
The local breweries Brauerei Hebendanz, Brauerei Greif, Eichhorn and Brauerei Neder brew a strong beer especially for this festival, the Annafestbier, which is stored in the beer cellars in the Kellerwald for several weeks before the start of the festival. For the first time in 2011, the Rittmayer brewery in nearby Hallerndorf brewed a special Annafestbier, which was served in the Weiß-Tauben-Keller.
References
{{reflist
External links
Annafest Forchheim- official page.
Annafest Forchheim- old official page.
- unofficial page.
Folk festivals in Germany
Forchheim