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Everyone knows Oktoberfest by the millions of people who travel to Munich from literally the world over to sample German beer, don their dirndls and lederhosen, dance on tables, and ride carnival rides.
Oktoberfest receives more than 6 million visitors each year, while the lesser-known Canstatter Volksfest, held in Stuttgart during the same time as Oktoberfest, gets a mere 4 million-plus visitors, making it the second-largest beer festival in the world.
But if you missed out on Oktoberfest last fall or are just looking for a replay of it to usher in warm weather, search no farther than the “Frühlingsfest,” or Spring Festival, in nearby Stuttgart.
This is the spring version of the Canstatter Volksfest or Oktoberfest and will take place this year starting April 17 and go through May 9. Opening times are noon Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. Saturdays, Sundays and German holidays. The festival closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Fridays, Saturdays and the day before a German holiday, with the tent bands finishing 30 minutes before closing time.
Frühlingsfest is held every year at the Canstatter Wasen, a fairground located in the Bad Canstatt district of Stuttgart. A variety of fairground attractions are featured there, including a 60-meter-tall ferris wheel, the largest mobile Ferris wheel in the world. Other carnival rides include roller coasters, rotating swings, carousels and a 66-meter-tall “Power Tower” free-fall tower, as well as many other traditional carnival rides. There are also many booths featuring games where participants can win prizes.
No one will go hungry or thirsty with nearly 100 food and drink vendors serving everything from crepes to flammkuchen to coffee. Additionally, vendors sell clothing, kitchenwares, leather goods and just about anything else you could imagine. Dirndls, lederhosen and all the accoutrements are available in the Alpine Village, an area separate from the main festival. Several additional food stands and vendors and another, smaller tent can also be found there.
One thing you can’t miss when heading into the Canstatter Wasen is the iconic fruit column, a symbol of the fairgrounds. The fruit column is a 26-meter high, 3.5 ton wooden pillar that is decorated with fruit and is a visible landmark from anywhere in the fairgrounds. The tip is dismantled after the festivals, but the base is left up year-round.The base of the column houses information stands and souvenir shops.
If you don’t plan on going just to eat carnival food and ride rides, you can make your way into a tent. There are seven permanently housed tents to choose from and each one holds from 1,800 to 5,200 people. You may be able to get into a tent without a reservation, depending on how full the tent is that day. Some tents may still have reservations available, which guarantees you a spot. The price of the reservation gets you two liters of beer and a half-chicken dinner.
To search for available reservations for tents, go to www.cannstatter-volksfest.de/, click the British flag on the left side of the page to switch to English, and click “Festival Tents” to see links to each individual tent’s Web site
(Note: not all the individual tent Web sites have an English version.)
A toast, a toast, to you
The toasting song “Ein Prosit,” or “A Toast To You,” is a traditional
song that is heard over and over again at festivals throughout Germany.
It is meant to be a salute to your health or well-being.
After singing the song, you say “Prost!” and cheers with those around
you, then take a hearty drink. Make sure to make eye contact when
cheersing with someone — the Germans have a superstition that if you
don’t, you will have seven years of bad luck.
“Gemütlichkeit” means a warm, happy feeling.
The song can be hard to sing along with if you don’t know the words. Here are the words with pronunciation:
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit,
(Ine Pro-zit, Ine Pro-zit, dur Gay-mewt-lish-kite)
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit,
(Ine Pro-zit, Ine Pro-zit, dur Gay-mewt-lish-kite)
Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa!
(Ines, tzvye, dry, soo-fa!)
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!
(Tzickee, tzahckee, tzickee, tzahckee, oy, oy, oy)
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi!
(Tzickee, tzahckee, tzickee, tzahckee, oy, oy, oy)
Prost!
(Prohst)
