Largest Fair on the Rhein

Largest Fair on the Rhine

The Largest Fair on the Rhine in Duesseldorf, drawing more than 4 Million visitors annually, is one of Germany’s biggest fun fairs. It takes place every third week in July (2009 dates: July 18-26) on the left bank of the Rhine River, in Duesseldorf’s Oberkassel district, and features beer and food tents, thrilling amusement park rides, vendors, etc. as well as 9 days of various associated events and activities.

Only three other German fairs get more visitors than Duesseldorf: Oktoberfest in Munich (6.7 million attendees in 2007), the Cranger Kirmes in Herne (4.5 million), and the Cannstatter Fair in Stuttgart (4.2 million).

Index:

1. History 2. Program 3. Weblinks

History:

The Largest Fair on the Rhine has its roots in an annual celebration in honor of:

-The city’s patron saint St. Apollinaris von Ravenna -The sanctification of the “Basilika St. Lambertus”, a catholic church in Duesseldorf’s Old Town (Altstadt).

The celebration of both events took place first in 1435. At the time it was organized by the local St. Sebastianus shooting club around a traditional shooting competition (called Schuetzenfest – marksmen festival), a local annual tradition involving a wooden target on a pole, usually a representation of an eagle. In the 16th century, the fair was said to be an occasion for King Henry VIII” to introduce his future wife Anna van Kleve to the public.

In 1910, the fair was moved to its present location, the fairgrounds on the left Rhine river bank in Duesseldorf’s district Oberkassel overlooking the city’s historic Old Town. Since then, the format and focus of the fair have changed significantly into the more secular and entertainment-oriented event it is today. Attendee numbers rose dramatically, and the event was stretched into 9 days. The name of the event developed in the 1970 simply into “Largest Fair on the Rhine” and has stuck since then. It is not only Germany’s fourth-largest fair but also one of the most important events for Duesseldorf’s economy.

Program:

The fair incorporates a number of events in a fixed sequence that reflects the historic format. Highlights include:

Saturday 1:00 pm: Opening ceremony by Duesseldorf’s major followed by an evening drumbeat in front of Duesseldorf City Hall.

Sunday Morning mass in Old Town’s St Lambertus Church. At 4:00 pm, 3000 members of St. Sebastianus shooting club (called Marksmen’s Club) march through the city’s old town. In the evening, the club’s young members engage in a junior shooting competition on the fairgrounds.

Monday Inauguration of the winner of the previous day’s junior competition as “king” for the year on the balcony of City Hall.

Another tradition developed strongly over the past 20 year: Pink Monday, now a gathering of 50,000 gays and lesbians on the fairgrounds, making Pink Monday the largest event in Duesseldorf for the gay and lesbian community.

Tuesday 7:00 pm: Senior shooting competition on the fairgrounds

Thursday Evening mass at St. Lambertus Church in Old Town, followed by a procession featuring the Appolinaris Shrine containing the patron saints’ remains.

Friday Crowing of Tuesday’s winner of the senior competition, the marksmens’ “king”. 10:00 pm: fireworks on the Rhine.

2008 saw a modification of the traditional sequence of events in an effort to improve the fair: For the first time and as a trial run, the Marksmen’s Parade took place on Saturday, not Sunday, to coincide with the opening of the amusement park portion of the fair. The parade started at the fairgrounds and ended in Old Town.