Völklinger Easter Fair & Spring Market

Spring's Beginning on the Saar

The Völklinger Osterkirmes is one of the largest and oldest folk festivals (Volksfeste) in the Saarbrücken regional association — and the traditional signal to start the spring season in Saarland. Around Easter, showmen and market traders transform the centre of the former steel town into a lively festival ground: a Ferris wheel on Hindenburgplatz, carousels and roller coasters around the new town hall, rides for adults, sweet stalls for the little ones.

Draft Beer Tapping and Saarland Traditions

The fair traditionally opens on the first day at 5 p.m. on Rathausplatz with the tapping of the first keg (Fassbieranstich) by the mayor, accompanied musically by the Fanfarencorps Völklingen 1955. The first mug is symbolically poured, after which the gates of the festival beer tents open.

Nine-Day Programme Highlights

The fair relies on recognisability: Family Day with reduced prices for rides, Easter Sunday with a surprise walk by the mayor through the grounds, Easter Market with around 25 stalls during the festival week, and a Sunday shopping event combined with the Spring Market to conclude.

Market Across Several Squares

The market stalls are spread across Adolph-Kolping-Platz, the City-Promenade, the Pfarrgarten, and the Forbach-Passage. The mix of amusement rides (with their characteristic smell of roasted almonds, bratwurst, and passion fruit punch) and stationary market stalls with crafts and spring decorations has been the recipe for success for years.

In the Shadow of the World Heritage Site

For those who want to extend their folk festival visit, Völklingen offers the perfect anchor: The Völklinger Hütte — a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Europe's most spectacular industrial monuments — is a five-minute walk from the city centre. A combined visit to the fair's Ferris wheel and the former blast furnaces is a typically Saarland combination of folk festival and industrial culture.