Frankfurt, Germany
As one of Germany’s main commercial and cultural hubs, Frankfurt is a city that always has its finger on the pulse and whenever you choose to visit, you’ll never be short of entertainment. From traditional folk festivals to colorful parades to enormous funfairs, here are some of Frankfurt’s top festivals and events.
1. Dipperness Fairs
Nothing beats the atmosphere of a good old-fashioned funfair and Frankfurt hosts its legendary Dipperness fair not once, but twice, in both spring and autumn. Lasting for three weeks each time, the huge fair includes everything from hair-raising roller coasters to traditional carousels, alongside plenty of carnival games and foods, a festive crafts market and family entertainment, culminating in a huge fireworks display.
2. Apple Wine Festival
The drink of choice for Frankfurters is local specialty Apfelwein or Apple Wine, and the best time to sample the sweet beverage is at the annual Apple Wine Festival, held each August in honor of the Hessian beverage. Taking over the city’s Roßmarkt for an entire week, the festival includes live music and traditional dancing, alongside plenty of street food and apple wine tasting booths, where you’ll find everything from ancient recipes to modern apple wine cocktails.
3. Mainfest
Starting life as a gathering of fishermen and sailors paying homage to their river, the four-day Mainfest is now one of the most popular events of the summer, held around Römerberg Old Town and along the Main River waterfront. Today the time-honored traditions are kept alive through bouts of fishermen jousting and shooting ranges, but there’s also plenty of fun to be had for non-sailors, with a huge fairground, street food market and live music, capped off with a gigantic fireworks display over the river.
4. Wäldchestag festival
Traditionally held on the Tuesday after the Whitsun, Frankfurt’s Wäldchestag (‘Forest Day’) Festival is among the city’s most unique events — a traditional carnival and giant public picnic held in the Frankfurt City Forest. Seen by many as the start of the summer season, the Wäldchestag entertains all ages with amusement rides, carnival games, an art and crafts market and live music continuing into the early hours.
Frankfurt, Germany
5. Parade of Cultures
Promoting the city’s cultural diversity, Frankfurt’s Parade of Cultures blasts through the city streets each June in riot of color, with live bands, dancing troops, acrobats and marchers, all dressed in elaborate costumes. Typically, the parade kicks off at noon, but the festivities last well into the night, with special club nights held at many of the city’s top venues.
6. Museum Embankment Festival
Frankfurt’s leading cultural event is also one of the biggest in Europe, drawing crowds of up to three million visitors and lasting for three days. Although centered around Frankfurt’s famous Museum Embankment, which runs along the south bank of the River Main and houses a huge number of the city’s museums, the festival features a range of events at cultural institutions, galleries and concert halls all over the city, including outdoor music concerts, special theatric performances, international food stands, crafts markets, art exhibitions and firework displays.
7. Christmas Fair
As the home of the original Christmas Market, Germany is a top destination for the holidays and Frankfurt comes alive over the festive season. Glittering illuminations, open-air ice rinks and Santa’s Grottos take over the city over yuletide, but the main event is the Weihnachtsmarkt, a huge Christmas market spread through the streets of Römerberg and crammed with handmade toys and crafts, freshly baked gingerbread and steaming bowls of mulled wine.
Frankfurt’s Top Festivals and Events from Germany Things to Do