Laternenfest Bad Homburg

The "Laternenfest" literally translated into English means lanterns festival. It is the oldest and most traditional "Volksfest" or festival in the Taunus. It takes place in Bad Homburg a city only 25km (15.5 miles) away from Frankfurt am Main's city center. The inaugural celebration occured in 1935. The festivals name derives from the city's decoration. Privately streets, stands, houses and alleys are festooned with manifold lanterns, giving the festival its distinct charm.

The Laternenfest is celebrated at the end of August or the beginning of September and attracts more than 500.000 people from the Rhein-Main area and from all over Germany every year. The festivals center is the Louisenstraße, where visitors find more than 200 stands and a vast variety of food such as Bratwurst, Kartoffelpuffer, Gulasch and Crêpes. Many local craftsmen also offer hand-made goods among those are textiles, wax products, glasses and jewelry. The main fairground is located at the western end of the Louisenstraße. It is possible to choose from 80 different fairground rides. There are several stages set up along the Louisenstraße, where local bands perform over the whole festival weekend. They offer a wide range of music and the fair's program includes other cultural events. One of the many highlights is the pageant with more than 150.000 spectators. For the pageant clubs, towns and institutions from the Taunus prepare parade floats according to a special theme. The parade floats are accompanied by many bands. Since 1960 a greyhound race has taken place in the Jubiläum Park along the Laternenfest.

History

In 1934 a working committee of restaurant owners and hoteliers initiated a program to organize the first Laternenfest in order to attract more visitors to Bad Homburg. The first Laternenfest was celebrated by the end of August 1934 in Bad Homburg's city. It was an instant success and repeated the following years. Due to the second world war the festival wasn't celebrated between 1939 - 1948. After the war Paul Grützner composed the Laternenfest song and in 1951 the first Laternenfest queen was crowned. She became the festival's face beyond the borders of Bad Homburg. Until 1972 the Kur- und Verkehrsverein organized the annual festivities. In the following year the club "Verein zur Förderung und Gestaltung des Bad Homburger Laternenfestes e. V" took over all organisational functions.

Arrival

Bad Homburg's central station has a direct connection to Frankfurt's central station via the S5. A single ticket cost 4,25 and commutes during the week every 15min and on weekend every 30min. The U2 runs between Frankfurt central station and Bad Homburg - Gonzenheim.

In a car Bad Homburg can be reached from the north via the A5, from Frankfurt via the A661 and the L3003 and from the Taunus via B456.

Laternenfest fountain

In 1979, to remind the people of Bad Homburg around the year of the Laternenfest, a fountain designed by Harry Freder was erected on Bad Homburg's market square.