Freiburg festivals
Freiburg plays host to several lively festivals: Fastnet is celebrated with various fire rituals and particular gusto on the eve of Shrove Tuesday, and preceded by a jester parade the day before. Other celebrations fill the summer, with the late June and early July Internationales Zeltmusikfest, hosting many musical genres, but particularly jazz; while the late July Weintagen and mid-August Weincost both celebrate local wines. The city also has a big ten-day Volksfest as part of the May Frühlingsfest, and the October Herbstfest.
Freiburg’s Bächle
One curious feature is the town’s Bächle: little streams sunken into the pavement which originally provided water for animals and firemen. Today they’re largely decorative, though plenty of people use them to cool their heels on a summer’s day. Fall into one and, according to local wisdom, you’ll marry a Freiburger.