Bergkirchweih 2024 - a great family festival

The Bergkirchweih once again proved to be a strong visitor magnet this year. Importantly, the weather gods also meant well with the "mountain" for the most part. Even though the rain cape was often part of the equipment, almost all of the predicted storms passed around the "Berg". And on the high-turnover Whitsun days, the sun shone brightly and drew streams of visitors to the mountain to enjoy the colorful hustle and bustle in the historic beer cellars and the amusements of around 90 rides and amusement rides.

Kirchweih well received by young and old alike

A few hours before the Bergkirchweih 2024 comes to an end with the traditional tapping of the barrel to the sounds of "Lili Marleen" on Monday evening around midnight, those responsible draw a positive conclusion. "Once again this year, our mountain became a place of cheerfulness and good humor and an attractive family festival," says Mayor Florian Janik, who himself was present at numerous events and appointments on the grounds.

"We all - the city, the showmen, the hosts - go to great lengths to ensure that such a large festival runs smoothly and well and remains attractive. The fact that this worked so well again this year and that the Kirchweih was well received by young and old alike is thanks to the good cooperation of everyone in the run-up to and during the event." The mayor thanked all the staff and volunteers who put their heart and soul into helping Erlangen's residents celebrate these twelve wonderful days on and around the festival grounds. He also thanked the residents on the site and in the city, who put up with the sometimes unavoidable disturbances and whose tolerance also contributed to the success of the festival.

Selection of rides a real stroke of luck

"Berg" consultant Konrad Beugel also has a positive view of the past Erlangen festival. "The weather played along - a very important factor for our Bergkirchweih with its wonderful beer cellars. The cellars and the fairground area were well attended on almost every day. The response from the entire event team was consistently positive. Enjoyment, joie de vivre and hospitality also characterized the Bergkirchweih 2024. And we also made a real stroke of luck with the choice of rides. They were very well received by families and guests."

In addition to his own team, Beugel thanked the many partners from showmen and festival hosts as well as the supporters from the emergency services for their reliable and appreciative cooperation in the run-up to and during the festival. Beugel also paid a big compliment to the visitors. "I heard very few incidents from the police in particular. And there were a lot of relaxed, easy-going and good-humored people. The work was worth it".

Ensuring the safety of young people

The city also invested a lot in cleanliness and safety away from the official festival grounds. "Although the celebrations at the Bürgermeistersteg are not part of the Bergkirchweih, we have taken our responsibility seriously to ensure the safety of young people," says city security officer Thomas Ternes. The infrastructure at the Bürgermeistersteg has been greatly expanded with toilet facilities and garbage containers. The city's youth social work team and the 'Safe Space' staff were on site, which was well received and contributed to a good atmosphere. The only area where there is still room for improvement is waste. The appeal to put garbage in the containers provided unfortunately went unheeded too often.

No serious injuries so far

Erlangen's Chief of Police, Senior Police Director Klaus Wild, also speaks of a "cosmopolitan, extremely peaceful family festival" to date: "The police are more than satisfied with the way this year's Bergkirchweih - one of the most peaceful ever - has gone so far. The number of crimes has fallen significantly compared to the previous year, which is particularly reflected in the number of assaults and sexual offenses. It is pleasing to note that there have been no serious injuries to date. Neither the recorded assault offenses nor other accidents resulted in major injuries. Only in one case was a person attacked by a blow with a beer mug; this attack did not result in any serious injuries either. On a particularly positive note, the Erlangen police were able to save a visitor from imminent death by suffocation on the third mountain day by providing immediate first aid, as has already been reported."

After the "mountain" is before the "mountain"

A look ahead to 2025: The 270th Erlangen Bergkirchweih will take place from June 5 to 16.