Cannstatter Volksfest

The Cannstatter Volksfest is a yearly event in Stuttgart that lasts 3 weeks. It combines a beer festival with a travelling funfair and is closer in character to an autumn fair. The organisers describe it as the world's second-largest Volksfest.

The festival is held on the Cannstatter Wasen, a fairground of about 25 hectares beside the Neckar in the Bad Cannstatt district of Stuttgart.

The next edition is expected to begin on 24 September 2027, and the festival usually takes place in September. Neither the dates nor the place are confirmed yet, so check the organiser's announcement before planning a trip.

The festival is officially opened by the Stuttgart mayor with the traditional barrel tapping. Only after that may beer be poured on the Wasen.

A large historical parade takes place on the first festival Sunday. Costume groups, marching bands, craft guilds and historical militias walk 4 kilometres from the Cannstatt Kursaal to the Wasen.

The parade is organised by the Cannstatter Volksfestverein, an association formed in 1994 to keep the festival's traditions alive.

The festival began in 1818 under the name Landwirthschaftliches Fest zu Kannstadt. According to the organisers, it was founded in response to a crisis.

Background sources describe the first festival as a farming celebration, conceived after crop failures and famine caused by the volcanic winter that followed the 1815 Tambora eruption.

The fruit column recalls the festival's origin as a harvest festival, and a column with produce already stood in 1818. The festival was suspended during the First World War.

8 large beer tents offer traditional brass music or party hits. In the Albdorf, at least 3-quarters of the food and drink comes from Baden-Württemberg, and there is also live music and traditional-costume fashion shows.

Swabian dishes such as Göckele, Kässpätzle, Schupfnudeln and Maultaschen are sold at the fair. Visitors can ride 2 Ferris wheels with views over the NeckarPark.

A flea market of around 30 traders selling textiles, household items, jewellery and gifts is held near the König-Karls bridge, away from the main bustle.

A tram line, the U11, runs from the main station directly to the Wasen.