Laternenfest

My Introduction to German Festivals

There's never a bad time to experience German culture, but I am here for what is casually referred to as the "fest season." Though summer vacation is over, the German people love to celebrate the waning warm days as they transition towards the colder months. For about six weeks beginning in mid-September and running through October, fest season takes over the country. All of the schools shut down for at least two weeks some time during this stretch; whether or not people head to Munich for the Oktoberfest, there are festivals to be enjoyed in nearly every city and town. 

This float signifies Laternenfest--literally, "Lantern Festival"

Bad Homburg gets an early start on the celebrations with Laternenfest--a four-day party that is unique to the city. It's a homecoming of sorts, and the people traffic over the past week has been barely tolerable. Literally, it's the "Lantern Festival." Beginning in the post war decades, Bad Homburg shops and restaurants hung lanterns outside their buildings when the evenings became darker to alert customers that they were open. Soon the tradition evolved into a festival, and now it's the city's biggest event of the year. 

The pedestrian-only Louisenstrasse fills up quickly each night

I enjoyed each of the four days differently, trying to get the full picture of this unique event. On Friday I spend a late evening at the center of the party with a few of my soccer teammates. Yes, Germany loves its beer, and yes, the drinking age is sixteen. And just like everything else, I am trying to handle it maturely. So far, German beer has lived up to the hype. The photo to the left was taken in one of the main festival areas; by sunset it was packed with people young and old--all having a good time. One item to note: all of the beer vendors charge as much or more for the bottle or glass than the alcohol. When you finish, you can return the glass and get your money back. This system goes great lengths to keep the streets clean and prevent broken glass.

Bad Homburg claims to be home to the oldest golf course in continental
Europe; while that may be true, the course is only a 6-hole par-3 layout. 

Saturday was the night of the parade. Every club and organization in Bad Homburg prepared a float, and as I ate dinner in a local pizzeria, I could see every float and marching band heading out to the edge of town to line up. It turned out that the parade began at the fire station only a block up the road from my house, so as darkness fell we lined up with the neighbors at the end of the driveway and watched the procession. The town is celebrating the hundredth year of the royal spa, so each float displayed a bit of history. Some of the floats had musicians performing, which reminded me of playing trumpet in the Westport, NY Fourth of July parade. Representing Camp Dudley in that event is always fun, but for an overall spectacle I would choose this one any day of the week.

The festival also features a typical fairground with rides and games

Sunday, Simon and I took Sebastian and Alex (the two middle children) to the fairgrounds. I remembered back to my 2009 summer in Germany when I went to the Hannover Schutzenfest; that fair had been spectacular, so I had high expectations for the one at Laternenfest. Everything at this fair was cool, and I loved the slight disregard for safety in order to cram more people onto the rides. Even with the huge crowds, we never stood in line for more than five minutes. And you can't beat a few rounds of bumper cars.

Laternenfest was capped off with a second parade and a firework show on Monday night. This procession was less flashy; a small crew of drummers leading a dozen men with torches. Behind them, all of the young kids in the district and their parents ambled along, chatting and trying not to lose one another. The students all had lanterns that they'd designed at school, and the glowing lights speckled the crowd. The parade meandered through the park and down one of the main roads before reaching the open field where the fireworks would occur. Around 9:30 the light show kicked off. The fireworks were orchestrated to fit the songs coming from the loudspeakers--everything from the German pop group Toten Hosen to U2. I was impressed, and the show left me very satisfied with my first German festival. I know that they will get bigger, but I'll remember Laternenfest for a long time. 

Click here to see all of my photos from Laternenfest