Frankfurt / Kassel / Gießen / Darmstadt (dpa / lhe) – chain carousel and chips from the booth: The organizer of the Dippemess in Frankfurt is confident that the folk festival can be celebrated in the autumn despite the pandemic. “For autumn we are really optimistic that the Dippemess can take place under certain conditions,” said the managing director of Tourismus + Congress GmbH Frankfurt, Thomas Feda.
Nevertheless, visitors would have to expect restrictions. “We’re not talking about a dip measurement like we experienced before Corona,” said Feda. “But at least from a folk festival, albeit with intervals and rules.” After the dip measurement failed in spring due to the pandemic, Tourismus + Congress GmbH is already planning replacement events. The Mainfest in August is to be extended from four days to two weeks – if the Corona situation allows. “We are pandemic-dependent checking,” said Feda. The team is helped by the experience in developing hygiene concepts from the past year.
The lack of public festivals in the city changed life in Frankfurt last year, according to Feda. “There is a lot of tradition and customs at such festivals – something is missing,” he said. “That is more than a drop in sales, there is something emotional about it. The atmosphere and the liveliness in the city are missing.” It should also be decided by mid-May whether the Museumsuferfest will take place in Frankfurt. The festival usually takes place at the end of August and attracts around two million visitors.
Other cities also regret the lack of popular festivals in recent months. “In normal times, the city’s calendar of events offers numerous and varied offers for all population groups that make up part of the quality of life in the city,” said the city of Wiesbaden. At the same time, she was also optimistic about the upcoming city festivals. The city festival in Wiesbaden in September is currently planned regularly. “The planning lead time for the event is three months, so it will be decided at the end of June whether the city festival can take place or has to be canceled.”
In Darmstadt, however, the popular Schlossgrabenfest has already been canceled due to the corona pandemic. No decision has yet been made at the Darmstadt Heinerfest, which was supposed to take place at the beginning of July. The organizers want to consult with the city in April, but are skeptical whether the festival can take place.
The city of Fulda also gives its citizens little hope. So far there has been no cancellation of the city festival planned for July, but the feasibility appears doubtful in view of the current conditions, the city said. Independently of this, Fulda is planning a series of smaller events for the summer “to keep the city center as an experience space for people in awareness.”
According to the city, planning for the annual Lullus Festival in Bad Hersfeld is in full swing – regardless of whether the festival will actually take place. “The worst that could happen to us: We must and then we cannot,” said a city spokesman. Therefore, all preparations would be made in order to be able to celebrate Germany’s oldest city festival from October 11th to 18th. “At the moment we have no need for a decision,” said the spokesman. Only in summer will it have to be finally decided whether the festival will take place. The Lullus Festival has been celebrated since 852 and commemorates the city’s founder, the Archbishop of Mainz, whose death day is October 16.
The city of Giessen, on the other hand, is preparing for a city festival under Corona conditions. “We assume that the pandemic situation does not allow the city festival to be celebrated as usual,” said a spokeswoman for Giessen Marketing GmbH. As an alternative to the big folk festival with its music stages and drinks stalls in the city center, the plan is to present small events from August 20th to 22nd – for 30 to 50 people each. According to the city, the Giessen city festival is one of the largest festivals in Central Hesse. It has been celebrated annually since 1985 and was canceled for the first time in its history last year.
In Kassel they don’t want to commit themselves publicly yet. “At this point in time, no decision has yet been made as to whether or to what extent larger events can take place in the coming months,” said a city spokesman. The decisive factor is the further “development of the pandemic situation”. The city usually celebrates the Zissel, one of the largest water and homeland festivals in the region, from July 30 to August 2.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210414-99-203362 / 3
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