"The world's second-largest folk and beer festival after Munich's Oktoberfest kicked off on Friday Stuttgart's Cannstatter Wasen. Around 300 innkeepers and market traders will open up daily until October 12, hoping to match last year's 4.6 million visitors. Proceedings began with the traditional keg tap at just after 4:30 p.m. by Stuttgart Mayor Frank Nopper. It took just two hammer blows to get the beer flowing."
"Baden-Wurttemberg state premier Winfried Kretschmann from the Green Party was also on stage at the opening of the festival's 178th edition, accompanied by brass bands and fanfare groups. Attendance will hinge on weather and consumer mood, with festival host spokesman Werner Klauss saying that, with Germany's economy still in the doldrums, economic conditions seem tougher this year. Table bookings for the eight festival tents have remained roughly the same, he said, but in some cases have declined."
"The three-week beer festival and traveling funfair is sometimes also referred to by foreign visitors as the Stuttgart Beer Festival, although it is really more of an autumnal fair. Nevertheless, the Volksfest is widely considered to be the second-largest beer celebration in the world. Besides the beer, the Cannstatter Wasen features huge fairground rides, colorful parades, live music stages, hearty Swabian food stalls, candy stands, and a bustling market with games and crafts."
Stuttgart's Cannstatter Wasen opened for its 178th edition with around 300 innkeepers and market traders operating daily until October 12, aiming to match last year's 4.6 million visitors. The opening featured a traditional keg tap by Mayor Frank Nopper, performed with two hammer blows, and included appearances by Baden-Wurttemberg state premier Winfried Kretschmann alongside brass bands and fanfare groups. Attendance prospects depend on weather and consumer mood amid a sluggish German economy. Table bookings for eight festival tents have been roughly steady though some have declined. The three-week Volksfest combines beer, huge fairground rides, colorful parades, live music, Swabian food, candy stalls, and a bustling crafts market, with origins as an 1818 harvest festival.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]