In terms of size, the Stuttgart Beer Festival is second-only to the Oktoberfest in Munich. It takes place at the end of September every year in the area around the 24 metre high fruit column and originated in 1818 as a harvest festival following a famine.

Germany's second largest beer festival
The festival provides two weeks of fun with oompah bands in traditional costume inside the marquees and fairground attractions such as the Ferris wheel, loop-the-loop rollercoasters and the old-fashioned chairoplane merry-go-rounds outside. Attracting more than 5 million visitors every year, the event is a firm favourite with the public.

A stroll through Stuttgart's city centre is like taking a journey back through the history of architecture, with masterpieces such as the medieval Old Palace, the baroque New Palace, the beautiful Art Nouveau market hall and the Bauhaus-style Weissenhof housing estate giving the city its distinctive feel.

Art and culture are an integral part of Stuttgart life. With more than 40 theatres, 30 galleries and three major art museums, there is plenty to please the most discerning of art lovers. The Stuttgart State Theatre, which stages drama, operas and ballet, is one of the highlights of the Stuttgart arts scene. The Friedrichsbau international variety theatre and the SI Entertainment Centre have established Stuttgart as a city of musicals.