Kaiserslautern celebrates in ‘Altstadt’

Petra Lessoing
Kaiserslautern American


***image1***Kaiserslautern’s “Altstadt,” old town, turns into a giant open air party area today through Sunday to celebrate its annual “Altstadtfest.”
Activities take place on Steinstrasse, its side streets and squares. Seven stages are put up where bands, dancers and soloists entertain the audience. More than 80 national and international vendors present their merchandise.
Alexander Hess, chief of the project office for local events, is proud to have a diversified program.
“The Altstadtfest is a good location to meet friends on the main strolling mile of the West Palatinate,” said Mr. Hess. “Thanks to many sponsors, we are able to present entertainment of high quality.”
Lord Mayor Bernhard Deubig officially opens the fest at 7 p.m. today on Unionsplatz to be followed by BoogieWoogie music.
Bands play different kinds of music to include rock ‘n’ roll by Perblind and pop by Snailshouse on St. Martinsplatz, rhythm ‘n’ blues at Mainzer Tor, and acoustic guitar pop by the band Crime and Passion in Wadgasser Hof.
The fest program continues at 11 a.m. Saturday on Stockhausplatz with the Kolping Brass Orchestra Kaiserslautern. The dance club Rot-Weiss performs at 2 p.m. and Transonic plays a mix of oldies to today’s music at 4 p.m. Singer Stephan Flesch and his band provide the evening entertainment.
On St. Martinsplatz, the Irish folk group IFF performs Saturday afternoon while Mother’s Project and Low Budget play at night. Visitors can listen to more music in the yard of Kopp and Kraus, Wadgasserhof, youth center and near Kaiser Fountain on top of Steinstrasse.
Sunday starts at 11 a.m. with Helmut Engelhardt presenting his Brazil Project on St. Martinsplatz. Country music can be enjoyed at 2 p.m. by the Band Kenny Brown at Mainzer Tor.
The band Ringo Ska performs Beatles songs in the evening on Unionsplatz while the Hemmi Donie Band plays a mix of dancefloor, Afro and Latin grooves on Stockhausplatz.
“Who is the most beautiful in Kaiserslautern?” is the question of the day at 2:30 p.m. on Unionsplatz, when the election of Miss Kaiserslautern takes place.
Judges will elect Miss Kaisers-lautern by 5 p.m. from eight females, 16 to 25 years old.
Walking Acts throughout the streets include the Pikes, a local football team and their cheerleaders.
A medieval market is set up in Klosterstrasse and knights present show fights.
Along the streets, vendors sell handcrafted items, leather goods, jewelry, clothes and accessories.
Local restaurants, clubs and associations offer culinary specialties from throughout the world.
Fest hours are 3 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Last year, more than 150,000 visitors joined the fest. Several streets in the Altstadt will be closed to motorized traffic.