Was ist los in Franken? Dec. 22, 2017

ANSBACH, Germany (Dec. 22, 2017) – “Was ist los in Franken?” details off-post community events and activities occurring throughout the Franconian region.

Herrieden Christmas Market
The Herrieden Christmas market in the main square will take place Dec. 22 and 23. The booths, manned by volunteers, are offering food and beverages, as well as hand-made ornaments and other little decorations. The opening ceremony is Friday at 5 p.m., when the mayor and the Christkind ring in the season together with the local children’s choir.

Krippenweg Schwabach
Nativity scenes are displayed all over town in Schwabach by the city in cooperation with the town churches until Jan. 6; also used are windows or private residences and store windows. Learn more by visiting Krippenweg

Live Nativity Scene at Nürnberg Zoo
Tiergarten Nürnberg features a live nativity scene on the weekends before Christmas and on Christmas Eve. The scene is open Dec. 23 & 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, visit www.tiergarten.nuernberg.de

Choir concert in Heilsbronn
Former members of the Windsbacher Knabenchor are performing a concert in the Münster in Heilbronn (Münsterplatz) Friday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, donations are welcome. Warm clothing is recommended, as temperatures inside the church are chilly. To learn more, visit http://www.ensemble-mixtur.de

Artists’ Christmas market in Würzburg
More than 40 artists display their crafts at the Künstler-Weihnachtsmarkt in Würzburg in the inner courtyard of the Rathaus on Domstrasse Dec. 23. The market is open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  The market is only a 5-minute-walk away from the regular Christmas market on Oberer Markt, which is open daily until 8:30 p.m. To learn more, visit www.wuerzburg.de.

Fab Four Beatles Tribute in Ansbach
The Beatles tribute band The Fab Four plays in the Kammerspiele Ansbach (Maximilianstraße 29) Dec. 25 at 8 p.m. To learn more, visit Fab Four.

Blues Rock in Ansbach
The band Ample Tang plays Blues Rock in the Kammerspiele Ansbach (Maximilianstraße 29) Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. To learn more, visit Ample Tang.

Silvestermarkt Ansbach
After the Christmas holiday market, shoppers and pedestrians can still enjoy a cup of hot punch or a Bratwurst downtown, or look for hand-knitted hats, candles and marked-down Christmas decoration, as some of the booths will remain open. Opening hours are  from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Dec. 27 – 30.

Continuous holiday markets …

Franconian Christmas Market Ansbach
The traditional Franconian Ansbach Christmas market opens Thursday, Nov. 30 at Martin-Luther-Platz downtown.  A crafts exhibition in the Stadthaus (first floor, co-located with the tourist information office) features handmade Christmas decorations and much more.
The market is open daily until Dec. 24; opening hours are Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. The market closes at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. For more details, including an event program and a site map, go to Weihnachtsmarkt

Medieval Christmas Market in Fürth
The Medieval Christmas Market in Fürth takes place at the Freiheit Nov. 30 through Dec. 23; it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers crafts and performances, campfires, jugglers, fire artists and much more. To learn more, visit Mittelalterweihnachtsmarkt

Bad Windsheim Christmas market
The Christmas market in Bad Windsheim at Marktplatz is open Thursday through Sunday, starting Nov. 30 until Dec. 23. Opening hours are 3 – 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 – 8 p.m. on the weekends.

Dinkelsbühl Christmas Market
Dinkelsbühl – sometimes called the little Rothenburg because of its historical walled city – features a unique little Christmas market, open Nov. 30 through Dec. 22. Booths offer not only the usual food and beverages, but all kinds of decoration of gift items. Worth mentioning is the arts and crafts bazaar, tucked away in a building in the corner of the market with handmade brick-a-brac and trinkets. The market is open 1 – 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on weekends.  To learn more, visit www.tourismus-dinkelsbuehl.de

Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberg
Every year, Germany’s most famous Christmas Market opens its stalls for visitors from all over the world, right in the middle of the city, on Nuremberg Main Market Square. Dec. 1 at 5.30 p.m. (the Friday before the first Advent Sunday), the Christkind opens her market, reciting the solemn prologue from the gallery of the Church of Our Lady. And as every year, by Christmas Eve, more than two million people from all over the world will have visited the Nürnberg Christmas Market.
About 180 wooden stalls, decorated with red-and-white cloth, hold the traditional goods: Nürnberg Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Früchtebrot (fruit loaves), bakery goods and sweets, typical Christmas articles such as Christmas tree angels, cribs, tree ornaments and candles, toys as well as arts and crafts products. The Zwetschgenmännla (plum people), little figures made from prunes, make a popular souvenir. Refreshments include, of course, Nürnberger Bratwurst and Glühwein (mugs of hot mulled wine).
Using public transportation is always recommended, especially on opening day. The market is about ten minutes by foot downhill from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). It is open daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., finally closing at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Detailed information in English can be found at www.christkindlesmarkt.de

Kinderweihnacht – Nürnberg
The Kinderweihnacht, a special Christmas market for children with historical carrousels, Ferris wheel, train, glass and candle workshops and Christmas bakery, is located on Hans-Sachs-Platz, right around the corner of the famous Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt. Opening times are daily 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Dec. 1 through 24 (closes at 2 p.m.). To learn more, go to www.christkindlesmarkt.de

The “Reiterlesmarkt” of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Once a year, the medieval town of Rothenburg is transformed into a winter wonderland during the annual Reiterlesmarkt; this wonderful Christmas market has been the highlight of the festive Christmas season in Rothenburg since the 15th century. Today the narrow and winding streets and the squares around the Town Hall, its archways and the market square are still lined with stalls where one can find almost anything associated with a German Christmas market: pastries, white mulled wine and handcrafted decorations.
Numerous cultural events are held in conjunction with the market. Daily events include a guided tour starting at 2 p.m. at the market square, and a visit by the Pelzmärtel (German Santa) at 4:30 p.m. Every day a new window of the “advent calendar” on the town hall is opened at 5 p.m.; a concert by a brass band follows at 5:30 p.m.
The Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt is open Dec. 1 through 23; opening hours are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. For further information about the Rothenburg market contact the Rothenburg Tourismus Service on Marktplatz 2 at 09861-404-800 or info@rothenburg.de, or visit the website at www.tourismus.rothenburg.de

Erlangen on Ice
The public ice skating rink on Marktplatz (between Paulibrunnen and Palais Stutterheim) in Erlangen opens Nov. 24; the rink, located near the Christmas market, is open daily until Jan. 7. Skates are for rent for 3 euros, admission is free. Opening hours are Monday through Friday 2 – 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Dec. 24 and 31 it’s 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dec. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Jan. 1 noon to 9 p.m. To learn more about Erlangen Christmas activities, go to www.erlangen-marketing.de

Ice Rink in Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen has put up an ice skating rink on the Marktplatz; highlights include an ice disco and “Eisstockschiessen,” Bavarian curling. The ice rink is open Nov. 24 to Jan. 7; to learn more, go to http://eisbahn.gunzenhausen.de

Celebrating the New Year  …

Nürnberg Silvesterlauf – Fun Run on New Year’s Eve
The traditional New Year’s Eve Fun Run in Nürnberg with races for all age groups begins at 10:45 with start at Sebastianspital (Veilhofstr. 38,) and takes participants around the Wöhrder See (lake). For details and registration go to www.silvesterlauf-nuernberg.de

New Year’s Eve downtown Nürnberg
Nürnberg is hosting a special cultural event named Silvestival. More than 20 bands and performers play in different locations, which can all be reached by foot. Tickets, which include traveling with public transportation via VGN, can be purchased in advance at www.silvestival.de

Silvester at KKC Bad Windsheim
The Kur & Kongress-zentrum Bad Windsheim (Erkenbrechtallee 2) is hosting a New Year’s Eve party, starting at 6:30 p.m. Visitors start the evening off with a glass of Prosecco, followed by a large buffet. Dance music, a showing of the classic “Dinner for One” one-act production and a fireworks display, as well as a dessert buffet complete the evening. To learn more, visit www.kkc-tagen.de

Torch Hike through Fränkische Schweiz
Pottenstein is hosting a torch hike for the whole family on New Year’s Eve. Starting point is the tourist office in Pottenstein at 2:30 p.m. Participants need to register in advance, the numbers are limited. To learn more, call 09243-70841 or visit www.pottenstein.de

New Year’s Eve party in the CINECITTA Nürnberg
Nürnberg’s largest movie theater, the Cinecitta (Gewerbemuseumsplatz 3), also features several bars and restaurants on more than 50,000 square feet. Their New Year’s party begins at 8:30 p.m. with live bands, DJs, lounge party and more. Midnight is celebrated on the roof of the building, overlooking the city’s fireworks.  For details go to www.cinecitta.de

New Year’s Eve party in Roth
The Marktplatz in Roth is site of a party with music and fireworks to celebrate the New Year. Admission is free; private fireworks or pyrotechnics are prohibited for safety reasons.

New Year’s Party at the Airport
Nürnberg’s airport is hosting a party at the “Terminal 90” Dec. 31. Visitors can dine a six-course dinner starting at 7 p.m. A dance party starts at 11 p.m. with a DJ playing music until the wee hours of the morning. To learn more, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/908008932633605

New Year’s Eve in the castle
Burg Rabenstein, a medieval castle in the Fränkische Schweiz region, offers a New Year’s package with an elegant dinner and music in the Rennaissance hall or a more rustic wild boar dinner in the knight’s hall.  A midnight buffet and baroque fireworks complete the experience. To learn more, visit www.burg-rabenstein.de

The information on local host nation events is provided through the auspices of the USAG Ansbach Public Affairs Office (PAO). All details provided are for informational purposes only and are a representation of typical events conducted in the local community. The PAO grants no element of exclusivity to any outside agency or business and any reference to commercial or retail activities implies no endorsement or recommendation by the U. S. Army or its agencies. Participation in any event or activity described herein is strictly voluntary and should be done so only after careful advisement and consideration of the safety and security environment at each specific location.