© #visitfrankfurt, Holger Ullmann

Wäldchestag 

Frankfurt Forest Festival
17.05. – 21.05.2024

A unique tradition

Bank holidays 
of the metropolis on the Main

The exact origins of the festival are not clear, but many residents of Frankfurt were usually granted an additional holiday on the Tuesday after Whitsun to visit the festival grounds. Even though only a few companies still follow this tradition today, Wäldchestag has a special significance in Frankfurt.

 

"Wäldchestag is our city's bank holidays and has a long tradition. Frankfurters visit the city forest on the long Whitsun weekend and experience a festival for the whole family in a unique atmosphere", says Mike Josef (Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main).

 

How it startet

The history 
of the Wäldchestag

The history of Wäldchestag cannot be clearly established. In the absence of documentary evidence, two variants of the origin are considered possible.

Traditionally, the craftsmen held their large, festive processions at Whitsun, and numerous craftsmen's festivals were not least due to the fact that the administrative year in the free imperial city was counted from 1 May to 30 April until 1729. The term of office of the guild leaders began with the new administrative year, which was also a reason for extended celebrations and merriment.

It is possible that the beginning of the third Whitsun holiday can also be seen in the custom of driving the cattle out to pasture for the first time after Whitsun, with servants and maids going out with them to feast on "food and drink". Frankfurt street names such as "Pfingstweide", which were mentioned as early as 1300, still bear witness to this old Whitsun tradition today.

Even if today in an international city like Frankfurt only a few people get the day off on Wäldchestag, as would be the tradition, a visit to the city forest on Whitsun weekend and especially on Tuesday - Wäldchestag - is obligatory for most Frankfurters. Those who don't get time off at their international company simply meet up with their colleagues for an after-work forest party in the beer garden or simply enjoy a cool glass of wine under the treetops at the weekend.

© #visitfrankfurt, Holger Ullmann

Programme

Information on the programme will follow.

FAQ 

Frequently asked questions about Wäldchestag

It appears that you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your web browser to access our site.

For practical and security reasons, we recommend that you use a current web browser such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, or Edge. Internet Explorer does not always display the complete content of our website and does not offer all the necessary functions.