Main Festival

Main Festival

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Festivals in Frankfurt

From 5 to 8 August, the northern bank of the Main will once again be tranformed into a fairground for the whole family.

It is one of the summer highlights and the only inner-city festival in Frankfurt in the style of a fairground. Sprawling along the northern riverbank of the Main, the Mainfest offers visitors not only a great gastronomic variety, but also a large selection of rides, carousels and games. This classic folk festival for the whole family attracts several hundred thousand locals and visitors every year.

Tombola with stuffed animals at the Main Festival, (c) Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Foto: Stefan Maurer — Tombola with stuffed animals at the Main Festival © Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Photo: Stefan Maurer

Traditionally, during these days the Main is celebrated as the city’s lifeline. When the Church of the Three Kings ("Dreikönigskirche") on the southern bank of the Main was consecrated on 23 July 1340, the fishermen of the Main celebrated a festival and thanked "their" river. With wine from the Fountain of Justice ("Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen"), “roasted ox on a spit” ("Ochs am Spieß") and contemporary popular amusements such as goose plucking, duck catching and “Fischerstechen”, it was an event for the entire citizenry. Some customs have survived to this day, as the Main Festival is opened with wine from the Fountain of Justice.

Another tradition that has survived the times is the "Fischerstechen", a lancing tournament on the Main where the participants try to push each other out of their boats, cheered on by an enthusiastic audience. The highlight of the Main Festival is the fireworks display on Monday evening. Thousands of guests line the banks of the Main and the bridges and numerous boats decorated with lanterns roam the Main as the sky spectacle of superlatives sparks across the water and bathes the Main in a romantic lighting.

You can find more information about the programme on the Frankfurt Tourismus websiteExternal Link.