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The Otterberg spring fest parades feature various walking groups. This year’s festival will take place from Saturday through Monday and include musicians, costumes, parades, and food and beverages.
Otterberg will sponsor its traditional spring fest Saturday through Monday.
Every two years since the middle of the 18th century, the community celebrates this spring fest, in turn with the old town fest.
The local mayor and Spring Queen Julia II will officially open the event at 7 p.m. Saturday in front of the Abbey Church. The enthronement of the spring queen will be conducted with the musical support of the Music Association Harmonie from Otterberg. At 8:30 p.m., the regional and renowned band Favorits will start entertaining the audience.
Traditionally, loud gun salutes will wake up Otterberg citizens at 6 a.m. Sunday. Then, musicians from the Music Association Harmonie will walk through the streets of the medieval village performing a musical wake up call.
The highlight of spring fest will be the parade with more than 1,000 participants walking up the decorated main street at 1 p.m. Sunday. Wagons and people in costumes will present the colorful history of Otterberg — there will be people dressed as Cistercian monks, Huguenots and Wallonians, and noble people in horse-drawn carriages. Spring Queen Julia II will follow the group in a festive, horse-drawn carriage. Local schools, kindergartens, associations and businesses participate as well.
After the parade, everybody will walk about 2 kilometers outside of town toward Höringen to the festival grounds in the forest, where festivities will continue. For those who don’t want to walk or can’t walk, a shuttle bus will be available.
Various music groups from neighboring towns will entertain visitors in the forest. Local restaurants will be in charge of providing food specialties and drinks. Children can enjoy pony rides, and the Kaiserslautern zoo will be there with some little animals. Customarily, the climbing tree will be a challenge for youth. Everyone who makes it to the top will receive a present. Local council members will also pass out pretzels to children.
Spring fest will continue Monday when the Otterberg Music Association will again march to the festival area in the forest. Visitors are welcome to join the march starting at 2 p.m. from the town hall (Verbandsgemeinde-verwaltung). Again, the forest will turn into a fest area with musical entertainment and food and beverages. At 6:30 p.m., the fest will close out with a parade walking back to the square in front of the Abbey Church. Here, officials and participants will thank the forestry office for letting them use the fest area in the forest.
