The best things to do in Stuttgart every year

Stuttgart is a thriving international city that likes to celebrate both local and international cultures. Learn all about its annual festivals and celebrations, both indoors and outdoors!

Bas

6 minute read

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Updated on 14 Jul 2023

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Living

Stuttgart is a thriving international city that likes to celebrate both local and international cultures. Then, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that as a resident of Stuttgart, there are fun things to do in Stuttgart all year round! So let’s look at some of the (inter)cultural festivals and events you can look forward to every year during your new life here in Stuttgart!

Speaking of new life, we’re kicking off with springtime fun! We’ll be taking a look at the outdoor festivals you can attend to combine good food and excellent drinks with fresh air and good company!

When it’s later April or early May, it’s time for the Stuttgarter Fruehlingsfest! Locals also call this festival Small Wasen. It’s actually the biggest spring festival in Europe, and is kicked off on a Saturday, with the mayor traditionally opening a large cask of beer!

Main attractions for this event are the fairground with its giant 47m tall Ferris wheel and even its own roller coaster. If fairgrounds aren’t your thing, then enjoy one of the many beer tents with traditional German dishes, chilled beer and live music until around 23:00. If you can’t make it in Spring, there’s also an autumn edition of this popular festival.

Stuttgart is a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities and is very happy about it! Every summer, the Sommerfestival der Kulturen takes place to celebrate the diversity in the city, with communities from all over the world coming together.

Over 30 expat communities participate in the festivities, meaning there’s an incredibly diverse menu of delicacies available! Whether you’re into broader European cuisine or want to try African, Asian, Latin-American dishes, your tastebuds will be travelling the world as you move from stand to stand! In fact, if you’re from far away, why not participate and show us what delicacies your homeland has to offer?

There’s more than just food available, as you can also browse the Markt der Kulturen, featuring stands displaying jewellery, clothes, art and other, often traditionally or handmade trinkets. While you nibble your food and wonder which souvenir you’ll be taking home, you’ll also be able to enjoy the same variety in live music! It’s the perfect place to simply wander around, immerse yourself in other cultures and talk to people from all over the world.

The Stuttgarter Sommerfest is a festival of sophistication! Every summer, in early August, the Neue Schloss and Opera House areas turn into a forest of white-tipped tents. Enjoy colourful lighting and a musical buffet ranging from jazz to swing to modern classics and sway to South American beats.

While the food at outdoor festivals is always great, the food at the Summerfest is extra special! Why? Well, it’s been prepared by the high-class restaurants from the greater Stuttgart area. So forget your usual budget-friendly Bratwurst and prepare your palate for gastronomical beef and salmon filets washed away with prossecco or a flavourful cocktail.

Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Well, the festival’s 500,000 visitors agree with you!

While most stereotypically Germany is associated with the production and drinking of copious amounts of beer, you can’t talk about Stuttgart without talking about wine. The rolling hill surrounding Stuttgart are covered in vineyards after all!

So, to celebrate this local speciality, the city centre transforms itself into the Wine Village every year! Trollinger, Spätburgunder or Riesling, there're German wines for everyone who has a taste for wine. Even if wine is not your thing, you can still enjoy Swabian delicacies such as Maultaschen (filled Swabian pasta) or crunchy, cheesy Kässpätzle (cheese sticks).

Íf you’re into sustainability, you’ll be happy to know that many of the new up and coming winemakers have a focus on organic production and a positive ecological footprint. So, bring your glass and prepare your palate for a wide variety of German wines!

It’s time for one of the largest festivals in Stuttgart! Over 4 million people flock to Stuttgart’s Bad Cannstatt area to attend the Canstatter Volksfest. It’s not only the biggest beer festival after Oktoberfest, but it’s also one of the largest fairs in Europe! Boisterous and lively, it’s a spectacle for the whole family, with festival tents, a grand market and of course the large fun fair with spectacular attractions for all ages.

The festival is kicked off with a parade of wonderfully horse-drawn drays (a big card without sidepanels) that bring in the various breweries’ beer! People will dress up in traditional costumes and spend the day admiring the market, riding the various attractions and then moving on to the massive beer tents, filled with boisterous laughter and music. The Volksfest has an atmosphere that has people coming back every year, even from far away!

Like in most major Germany cities, people look forward to the Christmas markets! In Stuttgart, it means over 3.5 million visitors, a market of over 300 stalls, daily live music and a special fairyland for the little ones. It even has its own miniature steam engine ride! If you want to get busy yourself, there are also plenty of workshops, such as candle making or baking Christmas goods.

If browsing the market while sipping a hot drink and munching a tasty snack is more your thing, then you’ll be able to purchase various artisanal and handmade goods. You’ll find a wide range of beautiful trinkets, from Christmas decorations, toys, nativity figurines to art and jewellery. But, more important than the good is the atmosphere brought about by the throngs of people, the music and the marvellous decorations that really brings forth the christmas spirit.

If you’re looking for something a little lighter, then the Stuttgart festival of lights is for you! In short, it’s a dazzling light show that takes place in one of the city’s major parks around Killesberg tower. The lights turn the forest into mystical adventure, where you’ll run into live music, local delicacies and excellent drinks. The festival culminates into the main event, a large fireworks display show set to a corresponding music show! Tickets are pretty affordable, so there's no reason not to check it out!

Don’t feel like going outside? Well, there’s plenty to do inside as well! Whether you like movies, art or are really into nerd culture, Stuttgart has options for a fun day or night out for you!

Who doesn't love a well-animated film? Whether it's a classic from your youth, an artist made short or your favourite content creator's weekly funny animation: the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film celebrates it all. Join the annual 80,000 visitors in sharing viewings of the work created by one of the 2,500 professionals that submit their work every year!

One of the audience highlights is the open-air showing on Stuttgart Schlossplatz, showing the best of the best animation and game content for free! You can also witness the German Voice Actors awards, attended by well-known actors and comedians!

The Long Night of Museums (Lange Nacht Der Museen) is an annual event that sees over 80 local museums open their doors at night! These special night time openings can last until 2 AM, so for this day there's even support from Stuttgart's public transport services, allowing people to quickly and safely hop from museum to museum. In fact, tickets for this event usually also include the night time public transport trips as well, as well as a special bus-tour!

You won't just have access to the museums themselves, there are also a host of special events, such as live painting sessions or getting up close and personal with classic vehicles at Rollendes Museum Stuttgart. Of course, local restaurants and bars chip in by providing the venues with refreshments and live music! If you're still not sleepy, you could even attend the afterparty at the Mercedes Benz Museum that lasts well past 4 AM.

If you're into pop- and nerdculture of any kind, then Comic con Stuttgart is the event for you! It's a bustling indoor and outdoor convention featuring anything to do with your favourite games, comics, shows or nerdy hobby. Get your picture taken with semi-professional cosplayers, get you comics and merchandise signed by world-famous artistis, actors and authors!

Every year you'll be able to meet and greet cast and crew members from your favourite series or show, purchase the latest merch and take part in a host of events. However, the best thing about attending a comiccon is soaking up the atmosphere and making contact with other likeminded nerds. It's a great opportunity to make some German friends with similar interests to yours, so be sure to wear your social hat.

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