"The city is full": large crowds at the state festival

Created: 05/21/2022Updated: 05/21/2022, 16:18

Lord Mayor Michael Ebling (lr), State President Hendrik Hering, Prime Minister Malu Dreyer and Carnival Prince Mathias I from Ahrweiler open the Rhineland-Palatinate Day.

© Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa

Big rush on day two at the state festival in Mainz: Rhineland-Palatinate offers a colorful entertainment program in summery temperatures.

The open-air concert in the evening should increase the number of visitors again.

Mainz – The second day of this year's traditional state festival in Mainz is also full of fun and celebration.

The colorful program on the stages and at hundreds of stands at the 36th Rhineland-Palatinate Day was already well received by the visitors at noon, according to the State Chancellery.

"The city is full," said a spokeswoman for the state government on Saturday afternoon at Mainz's Schillerplatz, where Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) and members of her state government invited to a morning pint in the morning.

In the background, the state police orchestra provided musical accompaniment for the relaxed exchange between citizens and politicians.

An ecumenical service was also held in Mainz Cathedral on Saturday with Bishop Peter Kohlgraf and the President of the Protestant Church, Dorothee Wüst.

The offices in the State Chancellery and the ministries could be visited throughout the day.

Culinary cravings were also catered for on Saturday: In addition to cultural offerings, there was also typical food and drink from various Rhineland-Palatinate regions.

The stands stretched from the banks of the Rhine to Gutenbergplatz.

On the Rhine promenade, the federal and state police also provided insights into their work with various activities.

At a total of 330 stands throughout the city, people were offered a variety of offers on the topics of knowledge, research, culture and the federal state.

There was a program all day long on five stages – in addition to music and entertainment, there were also political discussions about climate protection or campus development in the state capital with Biontech.

The State Chancellery reported around 30,000 visitors in the afternoon - and the trend is rising, because a strong influx was observed at the train stations and parking lots.

The citizens' festival got off to a very good start after a two-year break due to the pandemic.

This year it is a double festival, because it coincides with the state anniversary of 75 years of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Due to the high number of visitors, the traffic axes were partly overloaded on Saturday afternoon and the police again advised the visitors to use public transport.

In the evening, however, one expects significantly more people who want to have fun at the state festival, according to the state government.

Because the highlight of the evening will then be the big SWR3 open-air concert on the stage at Ernst-Ludwig-Platz.

At the start of the festival, after initially muggy temperatures on Friday evening, a few dark clouds and brief thunderstorms swept over the city, but these did not put a spanner in the works for the opening.

The weather didn't dampen the party mood of the spectators.

According to the organizers, 30,000 people came to Mainz for the opening. "It was a wonderful start to Rhineland-Palatinate Day," explained the Prime Minister.

For the city of Mainz, Lord Mayor Michael Ebling (SPD) added: "We have not forgotten how to celebrate festivals in the heart of our city." Only the live broadcast of SWR television threatened to fall short because of the thunderstorm.

With a little delay, the show "Rheinland-Pfalz celebrates!" on the open-air stage on the Grosse Bleiche could start.

Celebrations will continue in the state capital until Sunday - a total of up to 300,000 visitors are expected to attend Rhineland-Palatinate Day.

The state festival comes to an end on Sunday with the traditional pageant.

dpa