German drink festivals (besides the big one) Did you miss Oktoberfest? Germany's calendar is full of great drink festivals.

If you missed the biggest beer drinking festival in the world, that doesn’t mean you missed your chance to join the Germans in an epic drinking event. The country is full of great Volksfests (popular festivals) throughout the year.

Often focused on the beers and Weins (wines) that shaped important aspects of the country’s culture, these celebrations are more than just an excuse to get soaked. While some are direct copies of Munich’s Oktoberfest and even have the same name, our list of German drink festivals for a year will help you delve into Germany’s deep connection to the Fest .

Strong beer festival

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+49 89 4599130

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Starkbierzeit translates to “Strong Beer Time” and is a festival of love for some of the strongest beers in Germany. Started in the 17th century by the Paulaner monks, expect to find plenty of bocks on the getränkekarte (drink menu). While it’s still too cold to go outside, strong beers help fortify drinkers through the last cold bursts of winter winter.

Unlike Oktoberfest, this Munich festival is largely ignored by outsiders, making it a (mostly) venue-centric event.

• When : March – April
• Where : Munich

Stuttgart Spring Festival

Better known in Germany as the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest or simply Cannstatter Wasen by local Swabians, this is Europe’s largest Spring Festival with its autumn event on the same ground, second only to Munich’s Oktoberfest.

Started in 1818, this event also features marching bands, attractions (including the world’s largest mobile Riesenrad ), and plenty of beer. Fans of the festival say it offers a more authentic experience than its more well-known rival.

Munich also has a spring festival that is worth visiting.

• When : April – May
• Where : Stuttgart

Baumbluetenfest in Werder

Baumblütenfest (“Festival of the flower of the trees”) is the ideal start to summer. Just 30 minutes from the capital, this agricultural mecca offers dozens of varieties of fruit wines.

The festival started as a simple celebration of local produce, but has grown to welcome thousands of visitors to the festival grounds and directly to the orchards that offer their sweet, sour and totally fresh wines.

• When : April – May
• Where : Werder (Havel)

Erlangen Bergkirchweih

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Bayern doesn’t have a monopoly on the big German drink festivals, but it has more than its share. The Bergkirchweih is the third largest in the region with the largest open-air beer garden in Europe. Around a million people (roughly ten times the city’s population) flood Erlangen each festival season and over-fill its many kellers to create a giant party atmosphere.

• When : June
• Where : Erlangen

Kulmbach beer week

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In the beer-laden region of Bamberg, Kulmbach’s “beer week” is all about beer. Recently established in 1939, the popular Kulmbacher Brewery hosts the event with specialty beer features like their mighty “Kulminator 28”, one of the strongest beers in the world.

• When : July – August
• Where : Kulmbach

Stuttgart wine village

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+49 711 295000

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Every August and September, more than a million wine fans come to the city of Stuttgart to celebrate the “Stuttgart Wine Village”, one of the largest and most charming wine festivals in Germany. In 120 traditionally decorated bedrooms, you can taste more than 250 regional wines, including Trollinger, Riesling, Kerner and Müller-Thurgau, which complement Swabian delicacies such as Spaetzle and Maultaschen .

• When : August – September
• Where : Bad Dürkheim

Berlin international beer festival

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The Internationales Berliner Bierfestival is leaps and bounds from the German tradition of only offering local beers. The “Beer Mile” welcomes beers from all over the world. From the most popular blockbusters to a growing craft beer scene and beers that are downright weird (banana beer anyone?), The mile-long offerings along Karl-Marx-Allee have something for every type of beer. beer drinker.

• When : August
• Where : Berlin

Wurstmarkt de Duerkheim

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It’s not just about Wurst (sausage) at this festival. It takes place along the German wine route and is considered the largest wine festival in the world with more than 600,000 visitors. Celebrated for nearly 600 years, wine enthusiasts can sample everything from local Rieslings to Eisweins .

• When : September
• Where : Bad Dürkheim