There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe Munich's world-famous Oktoberfest. Held on the Wies’n fairground from the middle of September to the beginning of October, the festival is opened with the traditional cry of "O'zapft is" (the barrel is tapped).

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.

Every year in July and August the Bayreuth Festival attracts visitors from around the world with its exceptional productions of Richard Wagner's operas. Wagner's celebrated works, including the "The Ring of the Nibelung" as well as "Tristan and Iseult", are performed in alternation at the festival theatre, which was built especially for the event. The performances are one of the highlights of the German festival season.

Late-night opening for museums, a concept popular in a number of other cities, takes place twice a year in Berlin. More than 110 institutions take part in the event, ranging from museums and archives to memorial sites.

Every year on Ascension Day Leipzig welcomes an international audience to the Bach Festival in celebration of the famous erstwhile cantor of St. Thomas' Church.

Every autumn for two to four weeks Bonn stages the International Beethoven Festival. Devoted to the outstanding musical works of Ludwig van Beethoven, born here in 1770, the event enthrals visitors from all over the world.

Held every year, the Museum Embankment Festival is one of the top events in Frankfurt's festival calendar. Concentrated around the Eiserner Steg footbridge, the festivities stretch for eight kilometres on both side of the River Main, and if you think it's just about museums, get ready for a big surprise ...

Held every June, the Handel Festival is the highlight of Halle's cultural calendar, attracting visitors from all over the world. As billed, the spotlight falls on Baroque music written by the great composer, from operas to oratorios.

Not only is Rostock's Hanse Sail the largest maritime event in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it is also a huge public festival with an eclectic mix of entertainment and cultural attractions.

The festival started as a series of 19 concerts and over the course of time has grown to more than 100. Attracting several hundred visitors every year, the festival prides itself on the quality of its music – whether it is classical music from a range of eras, jazz or cabaret.