Quick report here on a festival I stumbled onto by accident. There's a regular poster on this website who's a persistant advocate for Regensburg. I forget who it is, but thanks anyway for putting it on my radar. Based on these repeated recommendations, I visited on a whim yesterday. By dumb luck, I arrived in town on the last day of the city's annual Bürgerfest. I haven't seen another fest quite like this in Europe, because it filled such a large area of the city (compare to Oktoberfest, which is held on an otherwise vacant fairground). There was an incredible variety of food stalls, all kinds of artisinal crafts for sale, plenty of live music including everything from classical to rock to traditional Bavarian to pop to Schlager and fusions of all the above (ever hear "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" played with tubas instead of guitars?), and this being Germany, rivers of beer and wine. Regensburg would be worth a visit any time of year, but fill it with a massive city party of this size, and you have a once a year not-to-miss occasion. Even with all the people and alcohol, it felt like a great outing for people and families of all ages (although a friend reported that things got a little more R-rated later at night), and it never felt too crowded. So, if you're in Bavaria at this time next year, add Regensburg's Bürgerfest to your itinerary.
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