Europe's Strangest Festivals
March 31, 2016
Wiesbaden is Germany's medieval capital and the home of Neo-Classical designed buildings; its former spa complex, the Kurhaus, at the forefront. Although it is now home to a casino and gourmet restaurant, many people travel to experience the warm waters from the thermal springs.
However, Wiesbaden isn't just a spa town; it also hosts many popular events throughout the year. Here are just a few you won't want to miss when visiting.
Since 1859, Wiesbaden has celebrated Carnival with parades, parties and group dances. The festivities start on 20th February with Altweiberfastnacht in the Old Quarter, where women dance to commemorate the start of Carnival. Two days later, the children's festival, a recent addition to the list of events, starts. Here you'll see children singing and dancing whilst dressed in costumes.
Everyone's favourite part of the celebrations is the Sunday Carnival Parade. Many spectators gather along the streets to watch the magic unfold. Thousands of merrymakers dressed in funky costumes dance and march through the lanes, with colourful floats following them to the Town Hall.
If you visit Wiesbaden in late March, you may notice several bunnies wandering between Rheinstraße and Mauritiusplatz, carrying baskets of multi-coloured eggs. This is the start of the Easter Market that entails 80 market stalls selling painted egg decorations, handmade jewellery and various other crafts. You may also notice a few stilt walkers strolling through the streets, entertaining bystanders.
There's plenty of food and wine stands weaved in between the handicraft huts, providing customers with refreshments. Choose between almond and honey pastries, cheeses and cold meats. Along Dern'sches Gelände, a handful of fabric and haberdashery stands allow you to discover unique patterns and textures.
Wilhelmstrassenfest has been celebrated every year in Wiesbaden from 1977, marking the re-opening of the Hessisches Staatstheater after renovation. At the time, this was a huge event for the people of the city and they decided to pay homage to it every year since. Although this is a two-day festival, 250,000 visitors turn up each year to see the events, making it the largest street festival in Germany.
This usually takes place on the Friday and Saturday of the second week in June, along Wilhelmstraße. It's comprised of music performances, fairground rides and over 200 stalls selling culinary snacks and home-made crafts. The pièce de resistance is the firework show that crowns the day's events.
The 45th Rheingau Wine festival will take place this year during August between the Town Hall, Marktkirche and City Palace. This sociable event allows both visitors and locals to mix and mingle over a wide variety of wines, including still and sparkling, whilst a variety of performances take place.
A hundred stands serve up tasters of their best wines and a further twenty sell local delicacies to complement the vino. With the sun beaming down on the surrounding Neo-Classical buildings and the mumble of others discussing the notes of each glass, a warming atmosphere is created around you.
Wiesbaden's Christmas Market, also known as The Twinkling Star Christmas Market, takes place on the Schloßplatz between the Town Hall and City Palace from the end of November to the end of December. The grand opening occurs on the stage in front of the Town Hall, where the mayor declares the fair open.
Blue and gold lights in the shape of lilies hang gracefully above the 130 stalls and blend beautifully to give the centre of the Old Town a welcoming atmosphere. Four star-topped gates mark the entrance to this wonderland, designed for you to discover gifts for friends and family, souvenirs to take home and local bites to warm you up.
If, after reading this blog post, you wish to visit Wiesbaden to celebrate their major events, call us or contact us via our website.
