Is it the music, the typical delicacies (“Schmankerl”) or simply the famous friendliness? It’s a fact: The term “Gaudi” can be defined as fun or celebration, but to really grasp the meaning you have to experience a folk festival in Bavaria.
Fairs in Bavaria
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Fairs in Bavaria are one of the high points of the year
The Bavarians really know how to celebrate properly. There is hardly a single town in the whole of the Free State that does not have its own folk festival. Many Bavarian communities have been celebrating “their” folk festival since the early Middle Ages.
Either via their traditional costume societies, fraternities, brass bands or gastronomy. The whole community joins in with the preparations. The locals lovingly decorate their villages and prepare their fairground. Particularly popular festivals attract millions of visitors every year. It’s a little bit more modest with the smaller fairs in the rural parts of Bavaria.
Tracht (local costume) is a must at folk festivals in Bavaria
“What am I going to wear?” Tracht naturally! For the men nothing but authentic Lederhosen will do. And what flatters the female figure more than a Dirndl? Take your time getting ready to go to the fair – this heightens the anticipation and is simply part of the fun for the locals.
And once the great day has arrived, it is generally the mayor who raises the first glass: With the well-known words “O’zapft is!” the first beer barrel is breached. Whether you join the throng in the beer or the wine tent or decide to taste the many typical delicacies at all the stalls along the way, a folk festival in Bavaria is an excellent way to sample all the regional specialities.
Fairs in Bavaria: A toast to Gemütlichkeit (conviviality)
After a few hearty Bavarian specialities you will be well prepared for a litre of beer or a large glass of wine. Whether young or old, everyone’s quickly on first name terms in the beer tent when raising a glass to conviviality.
Depending on the region, processions, dances and special traditions ring in the start of the folk festivals in Bavaria. These include festive processions as well as humorous tasks that are aimed at bringing the single lads and lasses in the community together. At the end of the day, a folk festival is always a welcome opportunity for a flirtation.
