The traditional Plärrer Folk Festival returns to Augsburg this spring, for two weeks of carnival rides, sweets, snack foods and giant beer tents, less than an hour by train outside Munich.

While the free Imperial city of Augsburg has been celebrating at this time of year for over a thousand years, the Augsburg Plärrer has been at its current site since 1878. "Plärrer" refers to the "chattering" of all the people attending the festival - probably one of the reasons it was moved to the outskirts of town! Musicians, jugglers, artists and magicians have always been part of this popular festival.

Get out your Trachten

Like many other folk festivals, you will see lots of people out in their Dirndls and Lederhosen for the day. This is not a "costume", but a celebration of the area's traditional dress. Visitors are welcome to dress in Trachten as well, but show respect to the locals by buying or renting quality Dirndls and Lederhosen.

The festival opens with a traditional parade. Since this is always a very popular event, be sure to arrive early to save a spot and get a good view! Every Friday evening during the festival period, there is also a colourful fireworks display.

Experiencing a festival beer tent

The word "tent" makes it sound like these places are small, they are not! Huge temporary buildings filled with wooden tables, benches and a stage, strung with ribbons and flowers and selling copious amounts of German beer, beer tents are an institution in Germany – you’ve probably seen photos of them at the most famous folk festival, Oktoberfest in Munich.

To be able to enjoy a meal in one, you will need to reserve ahead: you can find a list of the available tents on the Augsburg Plärrer festival site. There are loud sing-alongs and live music, so be prepared for a rowdy evening!

Fairground rides, games and food

Part of the fun of these festivals are the brightly lit fairground rides with cheesy Schlager (German pop) blasting from the speakers. You can try your luck at the carnival games, like throwing rings or shooting air rifles at balloons. Many of the vendors at this festival are from the Swabian region of Germany, so enjoy some regional specialities like Maultaschen and Käsespätzle from the experts!

Getting to the Augsburg Plärrer

This is a very popular local festival, so your best bet is to arrive via public transport. Augsburg is half an hour from Munich Hauptbahnhof. If arriving by car, park away from the festival grounds and take local public transport. These festivals are really fun in the evening, so make a weekend of it and book local accommodation too.

For more information about the Augsburg Plärrer, visit the official Augsburg Plärrer Folk Festival website.