Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Volksfest rivals that other festival in Munich, which also spans three weeks each fall and features vast quantities of beer and German drinking songs. It’s not quite as big as Oktoberfest, but I’m betting it’s every bit as fun. As a first-timer, I was glad a few locals gave me some guidance along the way. So, should you find yourself in Stuttgart in the fall, here is my quick guide to Cannstatter Volksfest.
Locals call it “Wasen”
The festival takes place at Cannstatter Wasen, which is a large festival area in the Wasen region of Stuttgart. It originated in 1818 as a harvest thanksgiving celebration. It’s big! Expansive fairgrounds as well as several beer/entertainment tents each with a 5,000-person capacity are the main draws. It runs three weeks from late September to early October.
Reserve or Go Early
If you’re well organized, you can reserve seats at a table in one of the large party tents. You need to do this early, though. We tried to reserve seats for an evening during the final weekend about a week ahead and were out of luck. We decided to go in the early afternoon instead, which was a good decision. Apparently, without a reservation in the evening, you will likely wait in a queue for a long time to get into a tent.
Entry to the festival is free! Note that fairground rides are pay-as-you-go. There are no tickets, tokens or passes. We decided that beer and bratwurst combined with stomach-churning rides was not a smart idea. There were some spectacular-looking rides, though. Next time.
Take the Train
Public transit is always best for events involving large numbers of people. We took the train from our airport hotel to Bad-Cannstatter station and found the grounds very easily by following all the festival-goers wearing traditional dress, which leads me to my next tip.
Dress the Part
Here’s where we failed. We knew people dress in lederhosen and dirndl dresses for this event, but we didn’t realize that virtually EVERYONE does.
We still had fun, but we were clearly identifiable as tourists. One helpful group of locals spotted us standing just below their table as we entered and took in the scene. Suddenly, I felt a hat plop on my head. These guys also helpfully let us know the process for getting a beer.
I’m not recommending you buy traditional dress for the event – that would be quite an investment if you’re just going one time. You can spend hundreds to get fully decked out. However, if you’re a guy, wear a checked shirt (red would be optimal). I saw a few women wearing jeans with a more traditional type of white blouse. Doing this would make you a bit less conspicuous. OR, just go as you are and have fun anyway!
It was a rainy afternoon the day we went, and I thought the tents might be on the cool side. Wrong. With that many people, it was quite warm. Keep this in mind when planning your wardrobe. I got a bit overheated.
Take Cash for Beer, food, and Bathrooms
Volksfest is pretty much a cash-only affair so take a good amount. The fairway has many options for food. We feasted on bratwurst and currywurst before heading into one of the tents.
The tents have food as well (tantalizing rotisserie chicken), which we heard is really tasty. I’m glad we chose to get a bite before heading in because we didn’t end up snagging a spot to sit for most of the afternoon.
When you’re ready for a beer (be forewarned, they are HUGE), look for the friendly servers in the brown lederhosen and aprons. They will bring you a frothy mug in no time flat.
The mugs are very heavy and had me wishing I had done some wrist exercises a few weeks leading up to the event. When I saw the female servers carrying four or more to a table by their handles, I felt like a wimp.
All that beer drinking means making a few trips to the WC. I was dreading waiting in a long line, but it moved incredibly fast. Note that there are attendants at the front entrance to the toilets, and it is expected (not required) to leave .50 EUR upon exiting. Well worth it. The facilities were spotless despite the huge volume of people using them. Well done, ladies!
Learn this Drinking Song
About every 20 minutes—between the various pop acts on stage, everyone sings a much-beloved drinking song called Ein Prosit. People sway to the music and at the end, take a swig of beer. You’ll know the catchy tune after hearing it the first couple of times. Here are the lyrics so you can chime in right from the start:
From all accounts, the word Gemütlichkeit is impossible to translate into English, but in essence, the song is a toast to good cheer, a sense of belonging, and coziness.
Make Friends
I cannot believe how friendly everyone was. Could the beer have had something to do with it? Certainly. However, there is definitely a spirit of Gemütlichkeit in addition to the warmth the alcohol provides. People were happy to pose for photos, answer my questions about the festival, and offer a toast of “prost!” at every turn. This made for a very fun experience for introverts like us, who enjoy interacting but are less likely to initiate conversation.
Get While the Gettin’s Good
The tents close down for a period of time between the afternoon and evening reservations, which allows for clean-up, and a bit of “sober time.” I should mention that security is very good. As expected with any large event that includes alcohol, we saw some extremely inebriated people and one aggressive confrontation. Almost instantly, a group of security guards descended and quickly escorted the individuals involved outside.
That is one, big cleanup job …
If you get anxious in the midst of this type of situation, I’d say get to the tent early when people are just starting to feel the love and leave around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. – an hour before shutdown when that love can turn into, “Get out of my face, you idiot!” You’ll avoid the hoard trying to get through the single exit point as well as the increased risk of experiencing the “unpleasantness” of a crowd after an afternoon of drinking.
If you’re a more seasoned Volksfest attendee than we are and you have other tips, please share them.
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[…] gals were in Stuttgart for Cannstatter Volksfest (the equivalent to Oktoberfest) and were immediately drawn to the lobby’s graffiti-style feature […]
[…] We arrived in Stuttgart at the tail end of City’s massive fall festival (okay, it’s really a beer festival). Attending Canstatter Volksfest was a highlight of our trip. Get the full review of the experience in my previous post. […]