Frankfurt still runs on an old fair calendar. Twice a year the Dippemess rolls into the east side with carousels and a giant Ferris wheel, and at Pentecost families head into the city forest for Wäldchestag. Add riverside festivals and a lantern parade in Bad Homburg, and there's a fair most seasons. Here's what we checked, from the Dippemess rides to the fishermen jousting on the Main.
Dippemess is Frankfurt's big traditional funfair, held twice a year on the fairground next to the Eissporthalle. Kids ride classic carousels, spinning rides, a roller coaster and the Ferris wheel, which looks out over the city at dusk.
Between rides there's cotton candy, crêpes and candied almonds. It suits kids who love rides and can handle noise, bright lights and evening crowds.
Wäldchestag is Frankfurt's own folk festival, a fair that sets up among the trees of the Stadtwald around Oberforsthaus. Kids get a Ferris wheel, chair swings, carousels and prize stalls, while parents sit in beer gardens with apple wine and sausages in the shade.
Afternoons suit families best. Evenings lean toward adults, with stage music and drinks until late.
Mainfest is Frankfurt's old riverside folk festival, rooted in a fishermen's feast from the Middle Ages. The Main embankment and the Römerberg fill with traditional rides, a Ferris wheel, regional food stalls and a culture program.
Kids tend to remember the Fischerstechen: jousters in historical costume stand on narrow boats and try to push each other into the river with padded poles. It suits families who enjoy a busy fair.
One of Europe's largest culture festivals fills both banks of the Main along the Museumsufer, Frankfurt's row of riverside museums. Museums open late with special programs, stages run from local bands to DJs, and stalls sell crafts and food from around the world.
For kids, the draws are the dragon boat races on the river, stilt walkers in the crowds, and the music fireworks that close the weekend.
Bad Homburg's town festival has run since 1935, with children at its center. Lit floats built around a yearly theme roll through the streets on two evenings, and a Sunday-morning kids' fair on the Brunnenallee has games for points, face painting and a balloon race.
The finale is the children's parade: school and kindergarten groups carry homemade lanterns through the Kurpark to the Jubiläumspark, where fireworks close the festival.
Hessentag is Hesse's state festival, hosted by a different town each year. In 2027 it comes to Idstein, a half-timbered old town in the Taunus hills that last hosted it in 2002. Expect live music, food stalls, local clubs and, by tradition, a big costume parade.
For kids, the draw is "Der Natur auf der Spur", a family nature area in the Wörsbachaue meadows, run by the state environment ministry with HessenForst.
Frankfurt still runs on an old fair calendar. Twice a year the Dippemess rolls into the east side with carousels and a giant Ferris wheel, and at Pentecost families head into the city forest for Wäldchestag. Add riverside festivals and a lantern parade in Bad Homburg, and there's a fair most seasons. Here's what we checked, from the Dippemess rides to the fishermen jousting on the Main.
Dippemess is Frankfurt's big traditional funfair, held twice a year on the fairground next to the Eissporthalle. Kids ride classic carousels, spinning rides, a roller coaster and the Ferris wheel, which looks out over the city at dusk.
Between rides there's cotton candy, crêpes and candied almonds. It suits kids who love rides and can handle noise, bright lights and evening crowds.
Wäldchestag is Frankfurt's own folk festival, a fair that sets up among the trees of the Stadtwald around Oberforsthaus. Kids get a Ferris wheel, chair swings, carousels and prize stalls, while parents sit in beer gardens with apple wine and sausages in the shade.
Afternoons suit families best. Evenings lean toward adults, with stage music and drinks until late.
Mainfest is Frankfurt's old riverside folk festival, rooted in a fishermen's feast from the Middle Ages. The Main embankment and the Römerberg fill with traditional rides, a Ferris wheel, regional food stalls and a culture program.
Kids tend to remember the Fischerstechen: jousters in historical costume stand on narrow boats and try to push each other into the river with padded poles. It suits families who enjoy a busy fair.
One of Europe's largest culture festivals fills both banks of the Main along the Museumsufer, Frankfurt's row of riverside museums. Museums open late with special programs, stages run from local bands to DJs, and stalls sell crafts and food from around the world.
For kids, the draws are the dragon boat races on the river, stilt walkers in the crowds, and the music fireworks that close the weekend.
Bad Homburg's town festival has run since 1935, with children at its center. Lit floats built around a yearly theme roll through the streets on two evenings, and a Sunday-morning kids' fair on the Brunnenallee has games for points, face painting and a balloon race.
The finale is the children's parade: school and kindergarten groups carry homemade lanterns through the Kurpark to the Jubiläumspark, where fireworks close the festival.
Hessentag is Hesse's state festival, hosted by a different town each year. In 2027 it comes to Idstein, a half-timbered old town in the Taunus hills that last hosted it in 2002. Expect live music, food stalls, local clubs and, by tradition, a big costume parade.
For kids, the draw is "Der Natur auf der Spur", a family nature area in the Wörsbachaue meadows, run by the state environment ministry with HessenForst.
