With May come the big fairs with rides, games, beer tents and great food. The city of Stuttgart kicks off with the Fruehlingsfest on the Wasen, the big fairground in the city. In Kaiserslautern, one of the biggest fairgrounds in the Palatinian region opens its doors, the Lauterer May Kerwe.

The Stuttgart Spring Fair, the Stuttgarter Fruehlingsfest, the biggest of its kind in all of Europe, opens its gates for the 80^th time on April 21^st and runs till May 13^th. Located on the Wasen fairground in Cannstatt its easily reachable by public transport and sitting right next to a good size campground. Car parking is rather limited on site, so traveling by tram or bus is recommended. In case you do travel by car, the address you want to enter into your navigation system is: Cannstatter Wasen, Mercedesstr. 50 in 70372 Stuttgart. There are also several park and ride locations in the vicinity.

The fair ground offers several beer tents and it is advisable to book tickets ahead if you want to spend time in there, especially on the weekends. Aside of the beer tents there are plenty of food stands and beer gardens and booths spread out over the fair. They will be tempting guests with local and exotic specialties. The main attractions have to be the many rides and carousels. Not to miss is the Traders’ Market, with over 50 vendors selling their goods. Jewelry, textiles, candy, herbs or household goods, whatever your heart desires… shop until you drop.

If you have little kids then you should be thrilled to hear that during family day on every Wednesday many rides and games are discounted and special events are happening throughout the fair. Many of the food vendors offer special menus for kids and the fairground is proud to offer baby changing stations for the very little ones.

Opening hours are Monday through Thursday 1pm-11pm, Friday 1pm-12am and Sat, Sun and holidays 11am -12am

The Volksfest finishes off on Sunday May 13^th with a huge public firework display at 9:30pm, the display lasts about 15 minutes and is accompanied by a greatest hits medley.

The Lautrer Kerwe happens soon after that, kick off is May 25^th at 5pm. The fest is located right in Kaiserslautern at the Messplatz. It is the biggest Volksfest in the western side of the Palatine region. If you plan on taking your car, the address you want to enter in your navigation system is: Kaiserslauterer Messeplatz, 67655 Kaiserslautern.

The fairground is home to over 140 different vendors, rides and food booths. There are beer gardens, tents, a little shopping lane and of course thrilling rides and kid’s carousels. 200.000 to 250.000 visitors walk through the grounds twice a year. The fest is set off with an impressive Firework show on Friday evening after sun down. Plenty of food vendors will be happy to present you with local delicacies and treats. You should give local wines a try in one of the many beer gardens. The shopping alley invites to stroll through vendors selling their treasures. Local specialties or handmade jewelry, this is a great place to purchase some gifts for the family back home.

Just like Stuttgart, Kaiserslautern offers Family days on Wednesdays with discounts and special events for kids. Opening hours are weekdays from 2pm till 11pm, Saturdays from 2pm till 1am and Sunday 1pm till 11pm. The Lautrer Kerwe finishes on June 4^th at 11pm with another firework display.