Germany’s 10 Best Beer Festivals
Germany’s 10 Best Beer Festivals
A visit to Germany is never complete without at least having visited some of the most popular beer festivals; it is after all the land of the beer.
This is one country that knows how to celebrate its knowledge and taste for beer “Prost”
Here are Germany’s 10 best beer festivals….
1. Oktoberfest, Munich
Let’s start with the mother all beer festivals – Munich’s Oktoberfest- which is usually help at the end of September to the first weekend in October every year. It goes for 16 days with lots of beer, no entrance fee and draws more than 6 million people from all around the world. If you are a real beer lover this is a festival you must go to.
2. Stuttgart Beer Festival, Stuttgart
The second largest festival is Stuttgart Beer Festival, which got started by the King Wilhelm to celebrate the end of famine in 1818. It only seemed fitting to celebrate the end of food crisis with a huge open-air market, a fair, and lots of beer.
3. Frühlingfest, Munich
The word ‘Früling’ is German for spring, Frülingfest is held in Munich as well. This fair is a scaled-down version of Oktoberfest. This is a mini Oktoberfest in many ways. It is held in the same grounds and has the same traditional polka bands. The only difference is that it is smaller and it happens in late April, which is the last month of spring.
4. Freimarkt, Bremen
If you miss out on the Oktoberfest in early October you can go to Bremen Freimarkt in the final two weeks of the month. This is a massive street party and draws approximate 4 million visitors to Germany.
5. Schützenfest, Hannover
This celebration runs in July and it was first celebrated in 1529. It is the biggest celebration for marksman and beer. It’s famed for its 12 kilometre long Marksman Parade consisting of top marksmen, marching bands, floats and 1.5 million spectators.
6. Gäubodenvolksfest Danube Region
An agricultural festival that first began back in 1812, Gäubodenvolksfest is a 10-day festival in August that showcases beers from the Straubing-Bogen. It also features a Bavarian parade with traditional costumes, horse carriage rides, and of course, beer tastings!
7. Starkbierzeit, Munich
Another Munich beer-fest known for its local craft beers and super-fun name “Starkbierzeit” translates to as “strong beer time” ushers in the spring season with a challenge to local brew houses to produce their strongest beer prior to Lent.
8. Bierfest Kulmbacher
Dedicated to beer and only beer, the Kulmbacher Bierfest showcases the town’s 4 brew houses in traditional pavilions in the heart of town, where brewery staff hawks their beer along with traditional Bavarian street food.
9. Barthelmarkt, Manching
Barthelmarkt is celebrated in the final weekend of August each year. First established in 1354, Barthelmarkt was first attended by Roman settlers in first century BC, who named the festival in honor St. Bartholomew, the patron saint of the town’s church.
10. International Beer Festival, Berlin
During the first weekend of August is Berlin’s annual beer festival, which welcomes over 1 million visitors from all over the globe. The city’s official “beer mile”—which stretches 2.2 kilometers, from Frankfurter Tor to Strausberger Platz. This massive beer garden offers up 2,000 varieties of beer for your sampling pleasure from 85 different countries.
Beer lovers from all over the globe, it seems that there’s always a reason for celebration that calls for beer!
