Stuttgart is a great city to visit, not least because it has, quite literally, one of the most fun attractions in Europe. The city may not have the capital status and turbulent history of Berlin, the towering spire of Cologne or the fame of Munich’s Oktoberfest. But it is home to the Canstatter Volkfest, the largest funfair in the whole of Europe.It takes place every year on the wide open spaces of the Cannstatter Wasen in September and October, with enormous variety in its entertainment and a vastness of scale that takes the breath away.
There are all the usual big features, but simply lots and lots of them. This includes a big wheel, roller-coasters and a carousel. There is also, as in Munich, an array of beer tents to allow visitors and locals alike to sample a wide range of brews. Shoppers are also catered for with a market selling all sorts of goodies. Like the Munich Oktoberfest, it all starts with a keg tapping ceremony and a parade of brewers through the streets. But this is not, first and foremost, a beer festival. At every year’s event there is a large traditional fruit column that rises up on the festival site, a feature that highlights the origin of the event as an agricultural one, celebrating the harvest. The event’s origins date back to 1817, at a time before German unification. Amid much political strife and economic turmoil, Württemberg’s King Wilhelm I and his wife Katharina formed the Centralstelle des landwirtschaftlichen Vereins agricultural organisation. This body staged the first festival in 1818 as a means of boosting an economy ravaged by the Napoleonic wars. Back then it was the classical agricultural show, with horse racing and livestock competitions.
Over time, other features emerged, with parades through the streets of the city taking place since 1841. The first motorcade took place in 1911 and the start place for the parade has been the Cannstatter Kursaal since 1927. Much as the festival has evolved over the years, however, it remains a rich part of Stuttgart’s heritage and history. For visitors to the city in the autumn, it is not to be missed.
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