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About 70 ships travel downstream from Spay to Koblenz giving passengers the chance to see illuminated buildings and various fireworks displays Saturday night.
Saturday, for the 58th time, towns and villages along the Middle Rhine will hold their annual event called “Rhine Aflame.” Every year, this summer fest takes place the second Saturday in August and lures about 500,000 visitors to the banks, and about 40,000 people can watch the spectacle from ships cruising up and down the Rhine River.
Between Spay and Koblenz, for a distance of 17 kilometers, there will be illuminations and fireworks displays. At 9:30 p.m., a convoy of about 70 ships will start traveling downstream from Spay to Koblenz. They will pass river banks, romantic framework houses and castles plunged into Bengal lights.
Nine fireworks displays will be lit between 9:30 and 11 p.m. from different locations to include Marksburg Castle near Braubach, the towns of Rhens and Lahnstein and Stolzenfels Palace near Koblenz.
The final fireworks display will start at around 11 p.m. from Ehrenbreitstein fortress right across from the “Deutsche Eck,” meaning German corner.
This biggest and oldest fireworks display has a long tradition in the garrison town of Koblenz. In 1776, a fireworks display honored Elector Johann Philip von Walderdorff, who lived in Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein. Light balls, musketeer shoots and air signals were part of the show, which was crowned with 12 cannon shots.
The participating towns of Koblenz, Lahnstein, Braubach, Rhens, Brey and Spay will offer entertaining programs including music, dancing, wine fests, water ski performances and guided tours.
For more information, visit www.rlp-info.de or www.koblenz-touristik.de.
