How the town of Karpfham, close to the border, with its 1200 inhabitants, was able to establish one of the largest folk festivals in Bavaria is still a mystery to many experts: The Karpfham Festival, which takes place from September 1st to 6th this year and regularly attracts crowds of visitors from the Innviertel over the border attracts, offers marquees for around 20,000 guests, an amusement park and 600 exhibiting companies as part of the Rottal Show.
Karpfham has made a name for itself beyond the borders with its focus on agriculture – but that alone cannot explain the 400,000 visitors. After a two-year “Corona compulsory break”, it will be time again from September 1st with free admission. The agricultural section has developed into one of the most important agricultural fairs in Germany in recent years, and the exhibition spaces are in great demand.
The quality is correspondingly high, and so is the interest of the visitors. Even if many companies are suffering from a lack of staff, the rush to exhibitors is enormous: not least because they have managed to keep the rents on site at the level of previous years, despite the general increase in costs.
Minimalist line
As far as the supporting program for the exhibition is concerned, the minimalist line remains true. You will look in vain for accompanying lectures, seminars or workshops. “We ourselves are program enough,” says a board member of the Karpfhamer Fest association, which organizes the spectacle for 400,000 visitors.
The following applies: First visit to the trade fair, then to the beer tent – it doesn’t take much more. The number of visitors, which has risen sharply in the past, has probably seen it that way. Traditionally, the festival has always been a welcome amusement for the rural population at the end of the busy harvest season since it was founded. Why and how Karpfham manages to regularly attract tens of thousands of visitors is not a moving question on site. “It’s fine for us right now. If the rush should decrease, we’ll make our festival smaller again. It’s that simple,” said Sebastian Winbeck, who headed the festival association for 47 years, to the OÖN a few years ago. info on www.karpfhamerfest.de.
Source: Nachrichten
