Volksfest
A Volksfest (pronounced [ˈfɔlks.fɛst] ⓘ; German for "people's festival")[Note 1] is a large event in German-speaking countries which usually combines a beer festival or wine festival and a travelling funfair. Attractions may include amusement rides, games of chance and skill, and food and merchandise vendors.
When there is a beer festival, it is common to build one or more beer tents (Festzelte), usually sponsored by a brewery, and set up beer gardens where it is possible to order traditional food and try the Festbier (beer specially brewed for the season). A large beer tent will have hundreds of wooden benches with a seating capacity in the thousands and offer live music, being a favourite place for patrons to spend the evening. The Oktoberfest is the world's biggest Volksfest and occurs yearly in Munich, Bavaria.[1][2]
Admission
[edit]Admission to a Volksfest and the beer tents is free. However, rides or games are paid for separately. In contrast to traveling carnivals in the US, each Volksfest ride is independently run, so tickets for several rides are uncommon. Inside the beer tents, there are usually tables that can be reserved, while the rest are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Duration and location
[edit]There is at least one Volksfest in many of the larger towns in Germany every year, each lasting from one to three weeks. In some towns there are two or more per year. A Volkfest is local in nature, attended mostly by people original from the hosting town and surrounding areas, but it may also attract international tourists. Sindelfingen is the only town to have given up its Volksfest.[citation needed]
A Volksfest takes place nearly at the same date every year. A number of these have a long tradition and feature a variety of events like parades in historical costumes or traditional shooting competitions. One of the oldest Volksfests in Germany is the Lullusfest in Bad Hersfeld. A Volksfest usually takes place in a special location. Some of these sites are well known such as the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart and Theresienwiese in Munich; however there are some Volksfest events which take place partly in the streets of towns.
As the Volkfest is temporary in nature, most mechanical attractions, games and beer tents are assembled in the weeks or months prior to the start of the festival, and dismantled once it is over.
Impact and demographics
[edit]Visitor Demographics
[edit]Annual attendance across all German Volksfests reached a historic peak of 198.4 million visits in 2023[3], comprising 188.4 million domestic and roughly 10 million international visitors.[4]
The festivals serve as significant community gatherings, with over 90% of visitors attending in the company of others. The average group size is five people and 29% of attendees visit with children, whose average age is nine.[5]
Economic Impact
[edit]As of 2023, Germany's 9,750[3] Volksfests generate an annual gross revenue of €6.5 billion.[6] These events serve as a major employment driver, supporting 57,160 full-time employees, which includes around 30,800 direct employees within the travelling showmen businesses.[3]
According to a 2023 industry study, visitors to large-scale public festivals spent the highest amount, averaging €45.80 per person. In contrast, spending at medium-sized festivals averaged €32.90 per person. The lowest daily expenditure occurred at small festivals, where visitors spent approximately €24.20 per person.[7]
Environmental Impact
[edit]Modern Volksfests have increasingly adopted environmentally friendly practices to reduce their carbon footprint. Over half of host municipalities now operate their festivals predominantly utilising green electricity. Furthermore with the average distance to a public transit stop being just 600 metres (2,000 ft), only slightly more than half of the visitors use a car during their visit to a festival.[8]
Major events like the Oktoberfest have implemented further measures, including operating on green electricity and eco-friendly natural gas, offsetting CO2 emissions through the purchase of reduction certificates, banning disposable tableware and utilising greywater recycling systems.[9]
Clothing
[edit]Especially in Bavaria, it is common during the Volksfest for people to wear the Tracht or traditional outfits such as Lederhosen and white or chequered shirts for men, and the Dirndl for women.
Well-known events
[edit]
Bibliography
[edit]- Rast, Christian; Melzer, Lukas (25 March 2024). "Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Volksfeste in Deutschland 2023" [The Economic Impact of Volksfests in Germany 2023] (PDF) (in German). Deutscher Schaustellerbund e.V.
References
[edit]- ↑ Bauridl, Birgit M. (30 April 2018). "Marching Towards Kullman's Diner: Performing Transnational American Sites (of Memory) in Bavaria". Politics and Cultures of Liberation: 211–240. doi:10.1163/9789004292017_012. ISBN 9789004292017 – via brill.com.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link) - ↑ Mukhitdenova, Bagym Maksatovna (1 November 2016). "Traditional Folk, Vocal and Professional Songs as the Basis for Development and Modernization of the New Forms of Kazakh Musical Stage". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education. 11 (9): 3203–3219 – via www.iejme.com.
- 1 2 3 Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 3.
- ↑ Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 29.
- ↑ Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 28.
- ↑ Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 7.
- ↑ Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 8.
- ↑ Rast & Melzer 2024, p. 44.
- ↑ "Eco-friendly Oktoberfest" (PDF). City of Munich. City of Munich Department of Labour and Economic Affairs. 9 September 2023.
- ↑ Howora, Larissa; Adlfinger, Dieter (2009). 100 Jahre Schweinfurter Volksfest 1909–2009 (in German). Schweinfurt: Museen und Galerien der Stadt Schweinfurt. ISBN 978-3-936042-48-1.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Cognate of "folk festival" in English