A Bremen Freimarkt parade float.
Credit: Chi_Chirayu – Shutterstock.
One of the biggest festivals on Germany’s calendar takes place on Saturday, October 26 in Bremen.
The Bremen Freimarkt parade is traditionally the highlight of Freimarkt weekend. Also known as Volksfest, it is one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Europe. A colourful parade traditionally passes through the city’s streets with floats and marching bands to a fairground that every year attracts millions of revellers.
The fair itself lasts for 17 days and covers 100,000 square metres and is filled with fairground attractions, music, food stalls, beer tents, and a lot of partying.
Bremen parade features dozens of floats and marching bands
The biggest draw, though, is the parade, which is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday of the fair. It has become so popular that national TV stations all send their teams to broadcast the latest floats and costumes to the rest of the country.
The tradition behind the Freimarkt goes back almost a thousand years, when the Archbishop of Bremen granted permission to hold a market the week before Pentecost. The market was a chance for local and international traders to sell their wares, earning it the name Freimarkt (or, free market) when normally they would not be permitted to do so. In those days, workers and artisans were only paid twice a year, and so the market became a reason to celebrate.
It was not until the 19th century that the biannual market converted into an officially festive occasion with music, beer, and laughter, as well as the now famous street parade.
The organisers came in for criticism last year for attempting to make the parade more family-friendly as they fought against a tendency for the festivities becoming more about the beer and less about ancient traditions. Many of the floats play loud music, while there are also 17 marching bands walking or riding along.
