The Cannstatter Volksfestival started as a big agricultural event in 1818, which was organized by King Wilhelm I and his Russian wife Katharina. They thought, that this event would be perfect for the Wurttemberg and its citizens, who had starved the previous years due to volcano eruption in 1815. The agricultural festival was to take place every year, and the very first fair attracted about 30,000 visitors in a day.
Nowadays the Cannstatter Volksfest is a 17-day festival with everyday parties, numerous amusement rides, stands and shows that entertain millions of visitors from Wurttemberg and the whole Germany. Traditionally it begins in late September and spans till the second Sunday in October.
There are different attractions of the festival, that remind every visitor of the origin of the festival. First of all, that is a 26-meter high fruit column, that has always been the symbol of the festival. And there are also numerous different tents with different programs to amuse the visitors. And if you want to see the real beer festival, you need to go to these tents.
Each and every tent specializes at certain beer and organizes beer parties for the visitors. Delicious beer, specialties and various games and activities of the tents attract those, who want to have a great party with friends or make new acquaintances. There are ten different tents now with the room enough for 1,800-5,000 visitors. The admission to the tents is always free, however, the entry is refused if the capacity of the tent is reached. Prior reservation guarantees that you will be able to enter into the tent you chose.
