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The seven best events taking place across Germany this March

The Local Germany
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The seven best events taking place across Germany this March
A big wheel at Berlin's Frühlingsfest. DPA

From beer to light shows, here's how you can welcome in the spring this March.

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1. Berlin Graphic Days, March 2nd - 4th
 
Photo: DPA
 
Berlin is famous all over the world for its colorful array of street art and graffiti. In this two day festival, fans of graphic art experience its creation first-hand.

The Berlin Graphic Days brings together over 50 international artists at Urban Spree to perform, create and sell their unique works of art to collectors and fans. Products available vary from t-shirts to fine art pieces.

Along with pieces available for purchase, there will be live painting demonstrations, a night market and a DJ with music to compliment the gritty, hands-on process of graphic creation.

2. Munich Strong Beer Festival, March 2nd - 25th

Photo: DPA

Wishing you could fast-forward to October to partake in Munich’s beloved beer festival of drunkenness and debauchery? No need! At Munich’s Starkbierfest, or Strong Beer Festival, you get to experience the best of Munich’s beer culture with an added punch.

Dating back as early as 1870, this beer festival is held at Paulaner am Nockherberg brewery and allow patrons to experience Munich's beer of choice for early spring. Since it is considered too cold to enjoy a Hefeweizen in a beer-garden, native Bavarians drink locally-brewed strong beers, which are characteristically deep, malty and warming.

These beers are produced exclusively in March, during the ‘Strong Beer Season’ (Starkbierzeit), a tradition begun by 17th century Paulaner monks brewing what they called ‘Holy Father Beer’. At the Strong Beer Festival, guests can enjoy this same Munich tradition today.

Known for their filling nature, high caloric value and 7.5+ percent alcohol content, these Starkbiers are sure to warm you up in Germany’s early spring chill.

3. Saint Patrick’s Day, cities nationwide, March 17th

Photo: DPA

Living in Germany is no excuse not to spend Saint Patrick's Day feeling the luck of the Irish. Across the whole of Germany, parades and pubs are embracing the world’s favourite drinking holiday, which luckily lands this year on a Saturday.

In Munich, a green-themed parade will take place at noon, and will take over the streets from Schwabing to Wittelsbacher Platz. All participants are encouraged to dress in costume and can expect to enjoy the bagpipe bands promised throughout the route. After the public parade, Munich will continue to celebrate long into the night at the various Irish pubs located throughout the city.

Berlin’s largest Patty’s Day celebration will be at Urban Spree in Friedrichshain, and has a full programme complete with Irish street-food vendors serving traditional cuisine, live Celtic music and dancing. For those looking to celebrate with a pint, several Berlin’s Irish pubs are putting on live music sessions and Guinness - often referred to as “the national drink of Ireland" - will of course be on tap.

In other German cities, such as Frankfurt, there will be additional parades and pub crawls to celebrate the holiday in Irish style.

4. Leipziger Buchmesse, Leipzig, March 15th - 18th

Photo: DPA

For all of you book lovers out there, the Leipziger Buchmesse is Germany’s second-largest book fair, just after Frankfurt’s, which takes place in October.

While not as large, the Leipziger Buchmesse is considered the go-to book fair for non-commercial audiences looking to discover what’s new in modern literature. With an expected quarter of a million visitors, this year’s Buchmesse is set to offer books for every taste and also in a variety of languages.

The book fair will include more than 3,000 events set across the hip eastern city during the weekend, and will host panel discussions on a few literary themes, include Europe in the 21st century and using literature to drive innovation. Complete with author readings, musical performances and thematic workshops, this year’s book fair is ready to show you the best that European literature has to offer.

5. Ostermarkt Nürnberg, Nuremberg, March 16th - April 2nd

Photo: DPA

Christmas markets are not the only holiday-themed festivals in Germany to offer visitors delicious foods and locally-sourced craft items. In cities like Nuremberg, this is also an Esater tradition.

In Nuremberg, the centuries-old Easter Market allows visitors to sample many of the delicious baked goods associated with the region, while also browsing through the hand-painted wooden eggs, rabbit figurines and other nostalgic craftwork made for Easter decorating.

Open from 10am to 7pm at the Hauptmarkt leading up to Easter, this market gives a nice holiday spirit at the end of a long winter!

6. Luminale 2018, Frankfurt am Main, March 18th - 23rd

Photo: DPA

The Luminale Festival of Lights is a mixture of light shows, art installations and educational lectures that comes to Frankfurt every two years to discuss the importance of light in the city. Founded as a supporting programme for Light + Building, the world's leading trade fair for lighting and building technology, it is now one of the most popular events in the region's calendar. With over 200,000 visitors, it has become a fixed point in the cultural life of the Rhine-Main region.

The festival features live performances, demos, lectures, and light sculptures around Frankfurt, and brings together renowned light-show artists from across the world.

Among many other events, one highlight of the festival is expected to be artist Philipp Geist’s projection in Frankfurt’s historic district. His instillation “Frankfurt Fades” will include images projected onto historic buildings surrounding the town hall, transforming old-world Frankfurt into a modern light show.

While some of these exhibitions are most striking at night, the festival will also include day-time events and lectures for visitors interested in the urban use of art.

7. Spring Festival Berlin, March 28th - April 22nd

Photo: DPA

Ending March on a high note, Berlin introduces its Spring festival, or Frühlingsfest, including rollercoaster rides, food stands and a ferris wheel near Tegel Airport.

Seen as a ceremonial beginning of the spring-season, this festival is a fun way to shake off those winter blues and embrace new beginnings.

Intended as fun for the whole family, this festival in the northern district of Reinickendorf will use its 60 person staff to run amusement rides, fun houses, face-painting stations and even a ghost train for those not too faint of heart.

Two Saturdays during the season will include musical performances on the fairgrounds and end at 10pm with a fantastic display of fireworks.

A similar spring festival will also be held this month in Frankfurt, and will feature the annual ”Frankfurter Sausage Festival”.

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