Oktoberfest in Stuttgart

We look forward to the end of September probably about as much as we look forward to Christmas because in Germany, the end of September means Oktoberfest! This year, we went to two Oktoberfests. On 26 September, we met up with friends in Stuttgart for the Cannstatter Volksfest, which is the second largest beer festival in the world after Oktoberfest in Munich. The Volksfest is a lot like Munich's Oktoberfest with rides and food, however, it's not nearly as crazy or jam-packed with people. It seems much more family oriented. We arrived on opening day, although we didn't get to see them tap the keg. But it was was bright sunny jacket weather - perfect! We walked around the grounds for a bit, stopped in all the tents to get pictures, and sampled some traditional fest food before meeting up with the rest of the group in the tent where we spent the evening.

Once inside, everyone ordered their Maß (liters) of beer, half-chickens, and started singing along with the band that was playing. It's always fun to see Germans get excited and sing German folk songs and always fun to join in when they play American songs like John Denver's Country Roads and Bruce Channel's Hey! Baby (this song has been covered A LOT).

Not too far into the night, I remarked (facetiously) how I would love to have one of the giant balloons that a vendor was walking around selling. Kurt decided to take my comment literally, and bought me a HUGE teddybear holding a heart balloon that said "I love you this much!" on it!! For the rest of the night, I had it tied to my wrist. (It was an adventure going to rest room with it!) He also full-filled my longstanding wish to have a nightcap. While purchasing a cowboy hat for himself, he found a nightcap for me. He was very proud of himself! And I am very excited to have a nightcap...I get really cold when I'm trying to fall asleep!

After the tent, we made our way to a "Little Bavaria" portion of the fest. All the stands within the area were made of wood and served authentic food. There was also a clothing vendor and Kurt was able to get a traditional German shirt.

We had a great day with friends, enjoyed meeting friends of friends, and were very happy with all our presents!

Click on the album below to see pictures from the day.

Cannstatter Volksfest