There is year-long fun going on in Stuttgart with its many events, festivals and fairs. Here are a few of them…
Bad Cannstatter Volksfest — Cannstatter Wasen
The beer tents and carnival rides lead some to call this Stuttgart event as the city’s own Oktoberfest. The fair’s symbol is the Fruit Column, which is 24 m (78 ft) high tower decorated in bright colors. Each autumn the celebrations begin with the customary barrel tapping in one of the large beer tents. Locals and tourists enjoy the drink and traditional food alongside the fun rides, including one of the world’s largest ferris wheels.
Stuttgart Spring Festival
If you happen to miss the Volksfest, then try to make it to Stuttgart’s Spring Festival, which is a mini-version of the larger autumn fair. The gigantic ferris wheel makes an appearance at this festival too. This Frühlingsfest celebration lasts for three weeks and features plenty of family fun. Face painting, merry-go-rounds, raffles and, of course, beer are some of the highlights.
Stuttgart Summer Festival
Another seasonal offering, the Stuttgarter Sommerfest event is a fun way to spend a summer day. White tents are set up near the city’s Theater Lake, a beautiful spot in the city center. All types of music are performed, from cabaret to jazz and South American beats, on three separate stages.
Stuttgart Wine Village
The Stuttgarter Weindorf is a wine festival and one of Germany’s biggest, with over a million guests each year! Stuttgart’s marketplace and the streets along the Schillerplatz are transformed into a fantastical wine village, with over 100 small stands offering this highly coveted beverage.
Christmas Market
This German traditional event is one of the yearly highlights of the Stuttgart event calendar. In the month before Christmas, this 300-year old festival is in full swing. The Old Town is awash in lights and holiday decor, and the smells of cinnamon and mulled wine are all around you. Of course, there’s plenty of typical German cuisine and drink to keep you warm as you peruse the 200+ kiosks offering Yuletide products and good cheer.
Christopher Street Day
Cologne is not the only German city with a Christopher Street Day party. Stuttgart, too, celebrates this day — in July.
Festival of Animated Film
With animated film gaining more and more popularity, this Stuttgart event — the Internationales Trickfilmfestival — has been gaining in prestige as well. It has been drawing larger crowds with each passing year. Each May, film makers and spectators flock to Stuttgart to enjoy these fun and artistic animated performances. The winner of “Best Animated Film” is awarded a cash prize.
