Festivals in Germany: Popular Drink and Food Festivals

Germany has so much culture, fun traditions, fantastic scenery, and castles, but everyone's favorite is the wunderbar food! Tastes of tradition are everywhere during the famous festivals in Germany. That's right. Festival(s) ... there are many! Especially for food and drinks.

German traditions and food festivals are something that every tourist should experience. The top-notch celebrations are a blast, and everyone is welcome with open arms and a plate of tasty goodies. Taste the passion behind authentic German foods, craft beers, dance like no one's watching, and don't forget to bring back a souvenir. But most of all, have fun.

What to expect at the festivals in Germany

When venturing to German food festivals, expect a big party. It's a party jam-packed with live music, authentic German food and treats, dancing, shopping, and something for the whole family to enjoy. Germany has celebrations that last for weeks or days.

Oktoberfest Celebrations

When is Oktoberfest?

Oktoberfest 2024: The Theresienwiese fairgrounds in Munich from Sept. 21 - Oct. 6.

O'zapft Is! Everyone will be shouting this when the mayor taps the first keg of the holiday. It means, 'It's tapped!'

It's one of the most popular festivals in the world; Oktoberfest trumps all. It's the once-a-year 'hoorah!' everyone anticipates. It's hard to go to festivals in Germany without spotting lots of beer tents. Nothing tops a mug of traditional Oktoberfest beer after trying a famous Bavarian pretzel.

Both can be found abundantly during these festivals. These celebrations are heaps of fun for a local or a traveler who happened to be visiting during the time of the great party. Expect lots of white and blue checkered patterns. On tablecloths, clothes, and just about everywhere else too.

Many hear Oktoberfest and immediately think it's a beer festival that only suits some people's fancy. It's undoubtedly also a bratwurst festival. But this festival offers so much more.

Attention music lovers and foodies! Imagine walking down the cobblestoned street, and you hear the most danceable tune. You look up and see people of all ages dancing to the oompah bands and polka music, filling your heart with the celebration spirit. Take a walk around to all of the tents and food trucks lining the streets and bask in the smells of German bratwurst wafting in the air. Irresistible. Grab a plate and dig in!

But wait, there's more.

Oktoberfest Food 

• Potato Pancakes ~ Known in different regions as Kartoffelpuffer, Reibekuchen, Reiberdatschi, Erdäpfelpuffer, and Erdäpfellaibchen. Introducing the 'potato pancake': Making regular potatoes exciting since the dawn of time! Well ... since the 1800s. The potato pancake is such a treat and a true classic German recipe. Made using grated potatoes (by hand!), fried to perfection, and served nice and crispy. There's nothing like it.

• Bratwurst Sausages ~ Bratwurst is what put German food on the map. The smell of roast bratwurst is unbeatable, whether made with beef, pork, veal, grilled, roasted, or fried. There's nothing like it. Authentic German food at its finest! There's one thing you absolutely can't miss with bratwurst.

• Potato salad ~ The ultimate pairing for bratwurst. Otherwise known as Kartoffelsalat, this refreshing and creamy salad is oh-so-authentic. Often made with dill, giving that lovely kick of flavor, and served alongside the famous meat dishes, potato salad can be found all over during this festival!

• Pretzels and Pretzel Rolls ~ Pretzels, or Brezeln, just may be the ultimate German festival food. These big soft pretzels are a melt-in-your-mouth kind of texture and taste. There are many different ways to make pretzels. The classic Bavarian-style pretzel is made with lye, which can be dangerous to work with. This recipe for pretzels made by my Oma Gerhild is made without the use of lye and tastes even better! Have Oktoberfest parties from home whenever you'd like with these tasty treats.

• Pork Hocks ~ time for a trip to the local butcher for pork hock! From the Southern parts of Germany, these are called Schweinshaxe, and from the North, Eisbein. Both are made differently but are served alongside scrumptious traditional sauerkraut. Eisbein is boiled, while Schweinshaxe is roasted. Wunderbar.
• Sauerkraut and Red Cabbage~ There's never too much sauerkraut at a German festival. Sauerkraut with pork hocks, served on top of that lecker bratwurst, sauerkraut salad, even sauerkraut soup! All things sauerkraut. Red cabbage, too, of course! One of the most popular and traditional sides of all. Sweet and sour, lecker and colorful. What can't cabbage do?

Yum! But that's not the only fun-packed festival in Germany.

Cannstatter Volksfest

When is Volksfest?

Volksfest 2024: Located in the city of the innovative Stuttgart, from Sept. 27 - Oct. 13

Think of Oktoberfest, but less packed with tourists and a Ferris wheel! And it lasts three weeks. Typically Stuttgart hosts the local Volksfests. But there are a few different locations that also do them.

Volksfest is another beer festival. But among all of the German fests, this one offers the most activities for kids. This festival is like one huge fun fair. It's the perfect place to stop by with the kids, especially if you've made them tag along to all the 'boring' castle and history tours all day. Rides, pony rides, cotton candy, and even more yummy treats? Now that's a way to make it up.

While the kids are off playing and having a blast with the fair, enjoy the variety of entertainment scattered about the grounds.

Visit the beer garden and try a variety of American beers, German beers, domestic beers, dark lager, and the famous Weihenstephaner lager while listening to live entertainment by local bands. Be blown away by the hot air balloon races, enjoy the different themes of the floats during the annual parade, and have a blast watching the fireworks display that closes off the festival. Shop around at the market for souvenirs.

Volksfest Foods

• Funnel Cakes ~ Because what fair is complete without funnel cake tents? The ultimate street food that pleases all ages. Great food to satisfy that craving for fried fair food with plenty of flavors!

• Flammkuchen ~ The pizza of all pizzas. A German pizza/flatbread-style snack that can be done up with your favorite German ingredients. When Oma makes it, she likes to add asparagus, bacon, and her favorite, caramelized onions!

• Spaetzle ~ A delectable German noodle dish often served alongside meat but tastes spectacular alone. These egg noodles are made by pushing dough through a sieve-type machine that is covered in tiny holes. This creates that squiggly look. Spaetzle is a classic, and its popularity has spread further than just its German roots. Austria, Hungary, and other neighboring countries know and love the yummy side as well.

• Potatoes! ~ It's not a German festival without potatoes. And at Volksfest, there are potatoes of many shapes and sizes. Potato dumplings, fried potatoes, baked potatoes, you name it, they've got it! You can most likely find them next to the bratwurst stand. That's right; they'll be here too.

• Gingerbread Heart Cookies ~ Popular at Christmas markets, heart-shaped intricately decorated gingerbreads are common to find at many festivals in Germany. Extremely popular in German culture, these cookies can range from huge to small and have little sayings written in colored icing on them. From "Ich Liebe Dich" to "Frohe Weihnachten," these are a sweet gifts to surprise someone with and a tasty treat to munch on while you peruse the fair.

Spargelfest

When is Spargelfeste?

Spargelfest 2024: Hosted in several locations, but the most popular is in Schwetzingen, Baden-Württemberg, on the first weekend of May.

Here's a bit of an odd one. If you like asparagus, here's the fest for you. Imagine loving a food so much that you dedicate an entire festival, not just one, to it. Well, we Germans sure do love asparagus, and the white variety is sooo lecker. Why not have a bunch of festivals to honor that?

Schwetzingen Spargelfest is one of the more popular asparagus festivals in Germany. Asparagus season in Germany runs from April-June and brings an abundance of beautiful white asparagus and an array of festivals in the cities with proper sandy soils.

The festival is taken very seriously by the farmers. Their harvest will be shared and sold at these festivals, and there are competitions for who has the best yield. Of course, some local farmers grow from their homes, much like how the festival tradition started. In the 1600s in Schwetzingen, white asparagus was planted on castle grounds by the Prince. He deemed it the royal vegetable. So, until now, Germans honor him, the other local planters, and the royal veg with a massive celebration.

Now, not all the asparagus comes from small farms. There is such a thing called the 'Asparagus Trail/Road'. The enormous 750 km road stretching from Baden-Württemberg to Brandenburg is lined with millions of rows of white asparagus. It makes for a beautiful drive! Stop along the way to pick your own to celebrate. Vendors often set up along asparagus road, selling bundles, and giving out baskets, so you can go into the farm and collect your very own bunch of asparagus.

During the asparagus festivals in Germany, you can expect to see countless farmers, fair games and activities, and live local bands. At the end of every festival, one tradition has been around for nearly twenty years. The crowning of the asparagus queen! 

The candidates for the asparagus queen are often daughters of the local asparagus farmers. They send the proceeds to struggling farms and spend a lot of time learning how to cultivate the best asparagus yield. Odd, sure, but an honor, also sure!

Spargelfest Foods / Drinks

Of course, ASPARAGUS! This means ...

• White Spargel with Hollandaise Sauce ~ The festival vendors will give you a plate of the lovely homegrown white asparagus and pour a tasty thick hollandaise sauce over top. It makes for a tasty, hearty, earthy treat. And what a great way to support farmers.
• Potatoes ~ Commonly served are boiled potatoes, cubed and served alongside the spargel. But in true German fashion, potato dumplings are common as well.
• White Wine ~ It may be asparagus season, but it's also the best season for the best German white wine! Grab a chilled glass and explore the festival.

Mandelbluetenfest

When is Mandelbluetenfest?

Mandelbluetenfest 2024: Located in Palatinate, from March 8th - 10th and March 15th - 17th

Similar to the Volksfest, but for wine lovers.

Mandelbluetenfest is the first festival to kick off wine season, located in a tiny town in Palatinate, full of bright and beautiful almond blossom trees. Mandelbluetenfest literally translates to the Almond Blossom Festival! What better way to celebrate those beautiful colors on the trees than to have a warm and bright outdoor festival full of fun.

Did you know there are over 1200 wine festivals in Germany throughout the wine season?

Believe it or not, wine festivals happen more often than beer festivals in Germany. Located all around and throughout the warmer months, there is always a time to celebrate. These are the best places to try some of the greatest local wines with wine tastings.

The Mosel wine festival is the most popular, and many of its small towns host a festival every weekend! Much like the beer festival, this one is always accompanied by a magnificent fireworks display. But this one isn't just at the end of the festival date. They happen every weekend! Now that's some motivation to get through the workweek.

Like being at a winery, the wine festival offers cheeses and other treats to accompany your wine-tasting experience perfectly. Try the famous Pinot Noir, refreshing rieslings, rosé, white or red wines, and lots of fruity sparkling spring and summer flavors to pair together. Let's talk about some of the delicious food to be found that these festivals feature.

Wine Festival Foods

• Cheese, cheese, and more cheese! ~ One of the best wine pairings for centuries, and for wine and cheese enthusiasts, a German wine festival features a multitude of scrumptious cheeses. Smokey, sharp, mild, ooey-gooey, or whatever suits your fancy.

• Pretzels and Pretzel Rolls ~ Pretzels, or Brezeln: The conquering snack of every German festival. But hey, they can't help being so delicious!

• Zwiebelkuchen ~ An onion tart or cake. And don't worry; it's better than it sounds. It's crispy, savory, and oh-so flavorful. This is a traditional pairing with wine in Germany. It is traditionally served with red wine and hot mulled wine served in glühwein mugs. Hot mulled wine is a real treat, commonly found at the winter and Christmas festivals in Germany, like the Nuremberg Christmas market.

• Brotzeit Platter ~ Bread platters are a common choice to snack on during the wine festival. After all, what's better than a chilled glass of wine with bread and cheese? Choose from the many bread booths and pick your favorite types of bread to add to the platter. Snack and sip away and indulge in the locally baked brötchen, artisan bread, and more.

Now go, fellow travelers, and have a blast!

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