The German Tourist Office is promoting festivals in Germany's 10 "Magic Cities" - Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart. In Berlin, the "Long Night of the Museums," is a special nocturnal experience when over 100 museums and galleries across the city open their doors late until 2 a.m., offering visitors an all-you-can-see evening of exhibitions, guided tours and special events. Tickets cost $18 per person, including a shuttle service along several routes (Jan. 30 and Aug. 28). Then, for 12 days Germany's capital illuminates its most famous attractions with special light installations in the "Festival of Lights" (Oct. 19 to 31, 2010).
Cologne on the Rhine River is known for its cathedral, hospitality and mood to party. Carnival is the city's official fifth season and the Rose Monday parade is an annual highlight (Feb. 23). Cologne is also home to the oldest and most vital gay communities in Germany. In 2010, the city will host the Gay Games, attracting athletes from all around the globe, making Cologne for one week the gay capital of the world (July 31 to Aug. 7).
The royal city of Dresden in Saxony is known for its culture and art scene. Combining two major anniversaries, the 450th year of the Dresden Art Collection and the 300th anniversary of the nearby Meissen Porcelain workshop, the Japanese Palais will host a special porcelain exhibition with some of the most valuable works from Meissen (April 18 to Oct. 1). Celebrating Dresden's culture and food is the annual Elbhang Riverside Fest from Loschwitz to Pillnitz along Sanony's Wine Route (June 25 to 27). For more information, visit www.friedrich.meissen.com.
Duesseldorf is known as the "Art city," boasting architecture from Frank Gehry and David Chipperfield as well as other cutting edge galleries and museums. Duesseldorf's second Quadriennale, a series of high caliber fine art exhibits in nine of the city's major art houses and galleries such as K20, K21, Benrath Castle, Museum Kunst Palast and NRW-Forum Duesseldorf, features work from artists Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, Marcel Broodthaers and others (Sept. 2010 to Jan. 2011). Also in 2010 the city celebrates the 200th birthday of its most famous citizen, composer Robert Schumann. The Schumann Festival 2010 features special concerts in several venues with famous musicians and orchestras (May 28 to June 14).
Frankfurt is not only Germany's major airport and financial center, it is also a cultural and culinary city, showcasing both these features in two great summer festivals. The annual Museum Embankment Festival along the Rhine is one of Europe's largest cultural festivals featuring countless art and crafts stalls and Frankfurt's fabulous museum row, with reduced-price admission and many special exhibitions (Aug. 27 to 29). The Rheingau Wine Festival in Frankfurt's central culinary street "Fressgass" is a festival featuring food and wine at over 30 stalls representing vineyards from some of Germany's most renowned wine-growing regions, the nearby Rheingau (Sept. 1 to 10).
The harbor city of Hamburg in Germany's north was Germany's main port of emigration to the US and the BallinStadt Emigration Museum gives visitors from the US the chance to see where their ancestors left from. Every year the city celebrates with hundreds of thousands of visitors the Harbor Birthday on the banks of the River Elbe. For three days the harbor is transformed into one big festival ground with food stalls and beer bars, showcasing music, dance and attractions like the parade of historic sailing boats (May 7 to 9).
Hannover, in northern Germany, is the former seat of the Guelph dynasty that also ruled Britain, and offers every year the best fireworks. Artists from around the world light up the sky over the Baroque Herrenhausen Gardens with their choreographed pyrotechnics in the "International Fireworks Competition" on five nights from May to September 2010. In the summer every year, Hannover hosts Europe's largest Schuetzenfest (marksmen festival). The festival is at least 500 years old. Around 12,000 participants -- marksmen, brass bands, drums and fifes, floats and horse-drawn carriages -- march in the festival procession from the New Town Hall. Up to 200,000 spectators pack the streets. The nine-day festival boasts local food, drinks, dance music and customs (July 2 to 11).
Leipzig has been a center of culture, music and arts for centuries. The city in Germany's East offers a mix of historic and contemporary art. Home to composers Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner and Schumann, Leipzig hosts four music festivals every year. The year starts off with the Bach Festival and the reopening of the Bach Museum after two years of construction (March 20 and 21). Highlight in 2010 though is the Robert-Schumann-Festival for the composers 200th birthday, celebrating and showcasing Schumann's work in original places and settings (Sept. 9 to 19). Showcasing Leipzig's vital contemporary art scene is the celebration for artist Neo Rauch's 50th birthday, exhibiting his paintings from 2007 to 2010 for the first time (April 8 to Aug. 31).
Munich, Bavaria's capital, hosts every year one of the largest and most beautiful Christmas Markets in Germany on its town square, the Marienplatz. The Tollwood Winter Festival offers an alternative take on the Christmas Markets. (Nov. 25 to Dec. 31). Stuttgart, in the southwest of Germany, close to the Black Forest, offers annual culinary and wine festivals. The festival season starts with the family-friendly Stuttgart Spring Festival (April 17 to May 9). Thereafter, the Summer Festival attracts gourmets from near and far (Aug. 5 to 8) and each year lovers of fine wines meet at "Stuttgart Wine Village", one of Germany's largest wine festivals serving over 350 outstanding wines right in the heart of the city on the Market Place and Schiller Square (Aug. 25 to Sept. 9). Ending the season is Germany's second largest beer festival, the Cannstatter Was'n, just outside of Stuttgart featuring local beer, culinary treats, music and customs (Sept. 24 to Oct. 4). For more information, visit www.magic-cities.com.
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