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The Cannstatter Wasen resp. Cannstatter Volksfest is an annual two-week beer festival (sometimes also called Stuttgart Beer Festival) in Stuttgart, Germany. Usually it takes place from the end of Septembers to the beginning of October on the "Cannstatter Wasen". The extensive Wasen area is located in Stuttgart city district of Bad Cannstatt, directly next to the River Neckar. On the Wasen area, also the Stuttgart Spring Festival (a smaller variant of the Stuttgart Beer Festival) is held each year. Stuttgart, a city located in southern Germany, is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of approximately 600,000 as of May 2005. ... The Neckar is a river in Germany, a major tributary of the River Rhine, which it joins at Mannheim. ...

Cannstatter Volksfest 2004

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Data and facts

Behind the large rival, the Munich Oktoberfest, the Stuttgart Beer Festival is often considered to be the second largest beer festival of Europe resp. the world. About 3.5 million people visited the festival in 2004 in Stuttgart, according to estimates by ther organizers. The "Wasen" normally begins one week later than the Munich Oktoberfest.

History

The Bad Cannstatter Volksfest  (Cannstatter Beer Festival)  has its origins in an annual agricultural trade fair. The first official festival took place in 1818 to celebrate the opening of what is now the famous University of Hohenheim, which was founded to help stop poor harvests and is now the oldest surviving university with an emphasis on agriculture. From its beginnings the festival was a tremendous success with more than 30,000 participants attending the first year alone. Over the years the Cannstatter Wasen grew larger and gained regional significance. During the 19th Century the celebration lasted first only one, later three, then four days, and becoming five days in the 1920s. At the start of the 1950s the festival was extended to ten, then twelve, and since 1972 it has lasted 16 days. First there were only a few festival stands (with entertainers and beer tents), but by 1860 the arrangement of three main streets and numerous side streets, as it is still organized today, was introduced to handle the ever-increasing number of visitors.

Beer tents

On the Cannstatter in the meantime four large fixed tents are people celebration, from which three (the fixed tent of Klauss, the fixed tent leaves and the fixed tent Grandl) have their traditional place before the fruit column since 1982.

Attractions

To the large attractions the schaustellerbuden and roundabouts belong beside the fixed tents. From 1.054 applications people fixed boss Karl Kuebler has 2004 333 attractions (previous year: 302) selected. To the largest attractions of the Cannstatter of people celebration the largest transportable ferris wheel of the world with 60 meters of diameters belongs for years. However a Looping roller coaster is missing since 1998. This was from 1984 to 1997 the largest driving attraction of the celebration. For the first time 2004 the "Imperator" stood on the Wasen. The largest flight roundabout of the world offers to 64 passengers Loopingfahrten into 35 meters height. Also the "power Tower 2", a 66 meter high tower, premiere celebrates with its free case.

Fruit column

The fruit column is a wood column heavy with fruits decorated 26 meters high and 3.5 tons, which is the landmark of the Cannstatter Wasens. It is towered above however today by numerous roundabouts. Already with the first people celebration there was a fruit column as landmark. After that 1. World war, with which beginning of the first German republic became, the fruit column as "monarchistisches" Leftover of the Cannstatter Wasen banishes. Since 1935, it stands for the 100sten anniversary then again on its traditional place. The fruit column, whose Design in the course of the years was changed always, was dismantled until recently annually after conclusion of the people celebration. Every few years a new fruit column with other Design was established again and again. Starting from 1995 it was let long all-season stand some time by way of trial and was thus also on Stuttgart spring celebrations to be seen for the first time. Since a few years only the point dismantled and the underbody, in which some statuses of information are and which carries during the spring celebration it for Cannstatter city can, left untouched.

Attractions

Altogether 54 roundabouts were on the Wasen in 2004, under it

• 60-Meter-Ferris wheel (biggest transportable ferris wheel in the world!)
• 47-Meter-Ferris wheel
• Alpina roller coaster freifallturm "Powertower", Height 66 meters
• Imperator (weight: 350 t)
• wild water coaster
• Wild mouse (in double execution)
• Airwulf
• Transformer
• Turboforce
• indoor roller coaster "Black Hole"
• Boosters revolution as well as 73 other Geschaefte:Schiess -, loose and Wurfbuden and businessbusiness business, 95 sales business for meal etc., a shopkeeper market with 60 market conditions and a box show. (to the comparison: Munich 2004: 41 roundabouts, 16 child roundabouts, 17 show and amusing business, 65 gastronomical small firms

French Village

Annually also the French village belongs to the Cannstatter people celebration. 2004 were represented it with 33 conditions. There the visitors can consume French meals and beverages with nationaltypical music.

Parade

Traditionally a parade takes place to the Wasen - nowadays in each case on the first Sunday of the celebration. Probably until today not over-bid fixed removal record was set up 1954, when over 300.000 spectators between castle site and Wasen area were there.

Firework

By the at the beginning of Octobers convenient day of the German unit profit the operators since 1990 from an additional work-free day during the people celebration. On the occasion of the national holiday the old tradition of the people fixed fireworks was revived.

Agriculture exhibtion

Every three years is attached the people celebration the agricultural main celebration, a big exhibition for agriculture - the original trip of the fair on the Wasen.

Open Hours

The opening times of the tents and lunch conditions, as well as the travel time of the roundabouts from Sunday to Friday is between 11 o'clock and 23 o'clock. On Saturdays and before holidays the enterprise lasts to 23:30 o'clock, however the music expires in the fixed tents at 23:00 o'clock. Child roundabouts and other driving enterprises for children terminate at 22 o'clock.