Germany's oldest funfair celebrates its 975th anniversary

By Stephanie Lettgen Sep 28, 2010, 9:22 GMT

Bremen - When Bremen's famous Roland statue in the city's Marktplatz (market square) has a gingerbread heart hanging around its neck, then it's clearly the time of year when the Hanseatic port marks its historical trading rights.

Bremen is a city state - the smallest Land in Germany - and has celebrated the Freimarkt (Free Market) every year since 1035, making it the longest running festival in Germany.

Today, the event involves a huge funfair and continuous partying in beer tents and bars.

Just like Cologne's Karneval, Bremen's Freimarkt time is considered a 'fifth season' when outrageous behaviour can be excused with the words 'Ischa Freimaak' - meaning 'it's the Freimarkt' in the local dialect.

For 17 eventful days, the city on the river Weser is thronged with people who come from near and far to experience the spectacular event.

One of the highlights is the parade through the centre of town, which takes place on Saturday, one week into the Freimarkt, when revellers dressed in glittering costumes stand on decorated floats and throw sweets and candy canes into the crowds.

The city is awash with streamers and balloons, gingerbread hearts and bright red toffee apples for the duration of the festival while the fair itself has over 300 attractions offering non-stop entertainment, including rollercoasters, a big wheel and, of course, a ghost train.

This year, the festival runs from October 15-31 and is expected to attract around 4 million visitors.

'Bremen's Freimarkt is Germany's third largest folk festival after the Oktoberfest and (Stuttgart's) Cannstatter Wasen,' explains Maike Lucas, spokeswoman for the city's main tourist office.

The big wheel offers superb views over the fairground, which covers an area of 100,000 square metres, stretching from behind the main train station into the city centre.

'During the 17 days, a lot of silly things will be excused with the words 'Ischa Freimaak,'' says Carl-Hans Roehrssen, CEO of Bremen's actors' guild.

The atmosphere is more tempered at the 'little Freimarkt' at the Marktplatz where piping hot doughnuts, roasted almonds and spicy liquorice set out on traditional-style stands are available everywhere.

The old-fashioned carousels aren't the only things that take visitors on a journey back in time as the area is also home to Bremen's greatest landmarks.

The impressive 13th century Cathedral St Petri lies to the east of the Marktplatz, while to the west side of the Renaissance-style Town Hall stands the 1404 statue of the city's protector Roland, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Schnoor medieval quarter lies between the Cathedral and the river and is home to rows of fishermen's and shipper's houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, which are now occupied by cafes, shops and art galleries.

Also only a few steps away is the Boettcherstrasse, a street of Gothic and Art Nouveau houses.

The origins of the Freimarkt date back to the introduction of market days in 1035 which allowed outside entrance without paying a tariff. 'Initially, it was only a trading market,' explains Konrad Elmshauser, head of Bremen's state archive.

The leisure theme associated with the current event has its roots in the 19th century and the 2010 Freimarkt will involve long nights of partying, dancing and singing in heaving festival tents.

This year sees three large parades. On the opening day, actors in period dress will re-enact the first ever Freimarkt, followed by the traditional Saturday parade and the festival 'burial' when the festivities come to a close on October 31.