October carnival starts today in Kaiserslautern

The Messeplatz fairgrounds in Kaiserslautern will turn into a big amusement park today to Oct. 24, when the city will sponsor its traditional “Oktoberkerwe,” or October carnival. The event will feature rides for adults and children, beer gardens, and a wide range of merchandise as well as food and candy specialties.

The history of carnivals in Kaiserslautern dates back to March 1571, when Emperor Maximilian II granted the town of Kaiserslautern the right to hold two cattle markets each year. For this event, traveling people came to town, and the traditional “Kerwe,” or carnival, which nowadays is held in May and October, started to develop. Since World War II, the “Lautrer Kerwe” with 200,000 to 250,000 visitors today, has the reputation of being the biggest folks fest in the Westpfalz.

Oktoberkerwe will open at 5 p.m. today and tapping the first keg of beer is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the fest tent. When it’s dark, around 9 p.m., a fireworks display will light up the sky.

The amusement park will feature a variety of rides such as the Jungle Train, Flash, Break Dance and Kick Down. Zombie is an adventure haunted house offering funny creeps to families on two floors. Visitors can enjoy rides in The Crazy Maus, a giant Ferris wheel, and car enthusiasts can ride go-karts and compete against 15 other drivers. The Walk of Fame is a mirror maze with fog and laser effects.

Children can have fun with skills games and taking rides in miniscooters, merry-go-rounds and on ponies.

Beer gardens, tents and bistros will lure hungry and thirsty visitors. Palatinate and international culinary specialties such as crispy chicken, ham hocks, crepes, pizza and fish will also be available at the food booths.

The “shopping street” will take visitors on a shopping trip. Until late at night they can buy a variety of merchandise to include clothes, curtains, household items, leather goods, jewelry, spices, arts and crafts items.

The ride owners and vendors will say good-bye to their customers with a Thank You fireworks display around 9 p.m. Oct. 24.

The rides will be open 2 to 11 p.m. each day and until midnight today and on Saturdays. Some food booths and vendors will open at 11 a.m. each day.

Like every year, stores in Kaiserslauten will open 1 to 6 p.m. the first Sunday during October carnival. Wednesday will be Family Day with reduced prices on rides and merchandise.