The Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing is one of the largest Volksfests (beer festival and travelling funfair) in the German state of Bavaria.[1] It is an annual event, spanning eleven days mid-August.
The Gäubodenvolksfest was founded in the year 1812 by Maximilian I Joseph, King of Bavaria, as an agricultural festival to foster an annual gathering of the people in the Danube region.
The festival went on hiatus in 1915–1918, 1940–1945, and 2020–2021.
The Gäubodenvolksfest is a modern and family-friendly festival with several attractions, including carousels and roller coasters. There are also several large beer tents that span a 100,000 m2 area. The event has maintained the historic character of Bavarian festivals, and attracts approximately 1.4 million visitors every year. Many visitors wear traditional Bavarian clothing (Tracht) for the occasion.
The festival combines Bavarian tradition with progress and vitality. It is one of Bavaria's oldest and most popular festivals and it has increased to one of the biggest events in Germany. Beer plays a central role in the fair. The beer is specially brewed, and only breweries from Straubing or the district Straubing-Bogen are allowed to serve beer there.
On the first day of the festival there is a "Bierprobe", which means "beer tasting," followed by a parade consisting of people wearing Bavarian native attire walking on foot, riding horses, or in horse carriages.
On the second day there is the official opening with a representative of the Bavarian or German government.
The festival is held every year in the middle of August and lasts 11 days. The festival is celebrated by the whole city as a "fifth season", and many companies are closed down during this time.
Combined with the Gäubodenvolksfest is the Ostbayernschau, the biggest trade show of eastern Bavaria.[2]