March 1st to 24th: Strong Beer Festival in Munich
Though most famous for Oktoberfest, Munich is also home to another annual beer-based celebration.
The Starkbierfest, or Strong Beer Festival, which traditionally takes place between Fasching and Lent, has been celebrated by breweries in the Bavarian capital since the 15th century. For three fun-filled weeks, the beer halls and breweries throughout the city will flow with stronger varieties of beer – both in terms of alcohol and nutritional content. The tradition goes back to a time when monks brewed strong, nourishing beers to help them survive the weeks of fasting during Lent.
READ ALSO: 10 fascinating facts you never knew about German beer
March 15th to 24th: MaerzMusik in Berlin
Spring is in the air, and so is an eclectic selection of modern music as this one of-a-kind event. Through concerts, performances, installations, music theatre, and film screenings, MaerzMusik spotlights contemporary artists from both Germany and abroad. To get tickets and see a full line-up of events, which range from the ‘Polyaspora’ International Music Ensemble to the ‘Topograpies of Hearing’ installation, visit the website of the hosting Berliner Festspiele.
March 16th and 17th: St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
The feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick, never goes unnoticed in Germany.
There’ll be parties and events in Irish pubs throughout the country on both March 16th 17th, but the Bavarian capital of Munich will host the biggest celebration.
The Irish community in Munich have celebrated the feast day on the weekend before the actual Irish national holiday since 1996 and this year will be no different. A giant parade will take place between Siegestor and Odeonsplatz on March 17th at 12pm, the highlight of a sprawling two day open-air festival.
March 21st to 24th: Leipzig Book Fair
Germany’s Frankfurt Book Fair may be the country’s most well-known, but a very close runner-up takes place every March in this up-and-coming eastern German city. The Buchmesse features not only a diverse line-up of local titles but also those in several languages from authors all over the world, with the spotlight shown on Flanders and the Netherlands this year.
There are also panel discussions led by everyone from poets to podcasters, with a central theme this time being the war in Ukraine.
READ ALSO: 10 German books you have to read before you die
March 21 - April 14th: Thuringia Bach Weeks
Paying homage to one of Germany’s most recognisable names, Johann Sebastian Bach, this is the largest classical musical festival in the eastern German state of Thuringia.
Classical concerts take place over three weeks at all the locations around the state where Bach once lived, worked or garnered inspiration from, whether the the Bach house and baptismal church in Eisenach, the wedding church in Dornheim, or the composer’s early workplaces in Mühlhausen, Arnstadt and Weimar.
March 22 to April 14th: Frankfurt‘s Dippemess
Frankfurt's largest and oldest folk festival takes place twice a year on the festival square on Ratsweg in front of the ice skating rink "Eissporthalle". At first glance, it may look like a carnival anywhere, with a carousel, rollercoaster, ghost train, and bumper cars. But the Volksfest, dating all the way back to 1240, is filled with many local traditions and specialties, be it local Apfelwein (apple wine) to specialty beer brewed in Frankfurt.
READ ALSO: Apfelwein: 5 things you never knew about German apple wine
March 30th to April 14th: Spring Festival in Nuremberg
The second largest folk festival in Bavaria, which dates back to 1826, features a full line up of carnival rides and regional traditions. For example, the event kicks off with a ceremonial tapping of a beer keg, which can be enjoyed in Oktoberfest-style beer tents, and you can also catch local marching bands. The festival also features a special family day, when all carousel rides, the roller coasters and games are half price.
March 31st and April 1st: Easter Knight Spectaculum in Berlin Spandau
If you’d prefer watching armoured knights fight it out in a skilled sword match over painting Easter eggs on Ostern, this special annual event at Spandau‘s historic Citadel is not to be missed. The sprawling fair also includes live Medieval music spread across two stages, a fire show and acrobatic acts. A reasonable price tag of €14 will gain you admission, but children under five (and knights in full armour) get in for free.
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