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ANSBACH, Germany (Sept. 22, 2017) – “Was ist los in Franken?” details off-post community events and activities occurring throughout the Franconian region.
Fall market in Nürnberg (Photo: Tourismus Nürnberg)
Kirchweih in Schwabach
The city of Schwabach is celebrating their fall Kirchweih fest until Sept. 24 at Königsplatz. To learn more, visit Kirchweih Schwabach
Altstadtfest – Nürnberg
The traditional Altstadtfest downtown Nürnberg, scheduled until Sept. 25, is one of the most popular highlights in the Franconian event calendar. The Hans-Sachs-Platz and Insel Schütt turn into fest grounds with wooden huts that offer local culinary specialties; the entertainment program includes cultural and traditional events, like the Fischerstechen, an event that includes boats on the river and people with long poles pushing each other off these boats. Program details and other information can be found at www.altstadtfest-nue.de
Fall Market in Nürnberg
The Nürnberg “Herbstmarkt” takes place on the main market place (Hauptmarkt) downtown until Oct. 1; vendors sell household goods, pottery, clothes and arts and crafts. Opening hours are daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. To learn more, visit Herbstmarkt.
Miltenberger Weinherbst
The wine town Miltenberg is hosting a wine fall fest at Engelplatz Sept. 22 through Oct. 3; the fest is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Oct. 1 is open shop Sunday.
Two-city run Merkendorf/Wolframs-Eschenbach
The annual “2 Städtelauf” between Merkendorf and Wolframs-Eschenbach takes place on Sept. 23. There will be a 21.1 km half marathon, a 10 km citizen run, a 5.5 km ‘hobby’ run/walk, a 3 km student run and a 300m Bambini run. Registration deadline is Sept. 17, but late registration is possible on site until one hour before each race. For more details, fees and registration, go to 2Städtelauf
Doggie pool day at Stadionbad – Nürnberg
The Stadionbad in Nünberg (Hans-Kalb-Straße 42) is celebrating the end of the outdoor pool season with a pool day for dogs Sept. 23. Doggies are allowed to jump into the non-swimmer pool from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The admission per dog is 4.50 Euros: mom and dad enter for free, but are not allowed to join their pooches in the water. Just in case they will be handed a “doo-doo bag” at the entrance for untimely accidents. Visit Hundebadetag for more information.
Fall market in Cadolzburg
The town of Cadolzburg hosts a fall market Sept. 23 and 24 downtown at the Markplatz from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local craftsmen, artists and producers from Franconia offer culinary specialties, arts and crafts. Combine the trip with a visit of the freshly renovated Cadolzburg castle, which is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Mondays (in September – new hours apply for winter months). To learn more, visit www.cadolzburg.de or www.burg-cadolzburg.de.
Kite Festival in Heuberg
A kite festival takes place on Sept. 23 and 24 in Heuberg near Hilpoltstein; kiting pros are showing off their colorful kites doing acrobatic stunts in the sky, but everybody is invited to bring a kite and participate. Saturday starts off with kite flying at 2 p.m., followed by a night show and fireworks; a family kite event starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday. To learn more, visit Drachenfest.
Thanksgiving market in Berching
The monastery of Berching is hosting an Erntedankmarkt (thanksgiving market) Sept. 23 and 24 with more than 70 vendors offering home-made products. These include pottery, rakes, wool products, hand-knitted clothes, Federweisser wine from Austria, organic goat cheese and ice cream, as well as an exhibition of historic tractors. Fresh vegetables and beer from the local monastery, as well as their fresh-baked bread are also for sale. Guided tours take visitors inside the monastery, while the kids enjoy a petting zoo, crafts and a bouncing castle. To learn more, visit Erntedank Berching
Culinary wine walk in Iphofen
The traditional Frankenwein town of Iphofen is hosting a culinary wine walk through open vineyard estates, museums and galleries and the historical downtown district Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more, visit Weinspaziergang Iphofen
Erntedankfest (Thanksgiving) in Gunzenhausen
Gunzenhausen is celebrating (German style) Thanksgiving Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Seezentrum Gunzenhausen-Wald, at 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. More than 50 vendors offer wood crafts and decoration, jewelry, arts and crafts, candles, scents and more; there will be entertainment for the whole family with music and performances by different groups, petting zoo and more. Home-baked bread, Bratwurst, smoked fish, honey and other regional products make sure visitors don’t go hungry. A shuttle service transports guests to and from the fest arena and parking lot. For more information go to Erntedank Gunzenhausen
Medieval days at Freilandmuseum
The historical outdoor museum in Bad Windsheim is hosting medieval days Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; more than 70 volunteers demonstrate everyday life in the old houses, including old crafts, personal hygiene, cooking or entertainment. To learn more, visit www.freilandmuseum.de
Michaelis Kirchweih in Fürth
The Michaelis Kirchweih in Fürth Sept. 30 through Oct. 11 is Bavaria’s largest street Kirchweih fest. Special event highlights include a street fun run and the harvest thanksgiving parade Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. To learn more about the fest program and other details, visit Michaeliskirchweih
Second Hand Bazaars for Parents
Parents are cleaning out the closets of their ever-growing offspring and take it to numerous “Kinderbasars” or “Baby-Basars” happening in the area. Look for posters or flyers in your community advertising the bazaars for second hand clothing, toys and equipment; usually they take place on a Saturday afternoon in the local church annex, school or community center.
Wochenmarkt Ansbach
The Wochenmarkt Ansbach is a typical German market featuring fresh goods like vegetables, flowers, meats, home-made noodles or ice cream, fresh-baked bread, cheeses and other dairy products. The vendors are often farmers from the area, who sell their own products. They set up their carts and stands on Martin-Luther-Platz twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. (except German holidays).
Beyond the Franconian borders …
Oktoberfest in Munich
The Oktoberfest in Munich – the original Oktoberfest – is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world’s largest fair with more than 6 million people from around the world attending every year. It started out as a royal wedding celebration in October 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen; the fields, where the celebration took place, were named Theresienwiese (“Therese’s Meadow”) in honor of the crown princess.
The Oktoberfest, also known as the “Wies’n,” takes place on Munich’s Theresienwiese Sept. 16 to Oct. 3. The midway is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (30 minutes longer on the weekends); the beer tents have the same opening hours, but the last beer will be served an hour before closure.
Highlights: Highlights of the Oktoberfest – besides the numerous rides, attractions and tents – include the opening parade of the Wiesn-Wirte (tent owners) Sept. 16 at 11 a.m., the traditional garb and master shooters parade (Trachten- und Schützenzug) Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. or the traditional gun-salute on the steps of the Bavaria monument at noon Oct. 3.
Official family days with reduced prices are Tuesdays from noon to 6 p.m. Since there is no parking anywhere close to the location, visitors are encouraged to come to town by train or take advantage of the park & ride system and leave their vehicle at a public transportation stop outside of the city, using the subway (U-Bahn) to get there.
Security concept: The security concept of the Oktoberfest is based on decades of experience and constantly reviewed. New this year will be a “security fence” along open stretches as well as a ban of back packs and larger bags; smaller bags are subject to search. Strollers are only allowed on weekdays until 6 p.m.; completely forbidden are items like glass bottles, gas spry cans or knives. On the busier days, like the weekends, visitors are advised to refrain from bringing small children.
For more information about the Oktoberfest go to www.oktoberfest.de/en
Pumpkin Festival in Ludwigsburg
The annual pumpkin festival on Ludwigsburg’s castle grounds (Marbacher Strasse 10, 71640 Ludwigsburg, Germany) is open now until Nov. 5. Visitors can expect spectacular works of art created from 450 000 pumpkins and gourds, or admire more than 500 variations of the vegetable; this year’s overarching theme is “Rome.” Culinary delights like pumpkin soup, burgers or strudel can be tried on site. For more details, visit Kürbisausstellung-English or www.facebook.com/kuerbisausstellung
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.
