The festival runs until Sunday evening. The City Marketing association has organised many bands, a circus and a puppet theatre. Beikircher spoke about how he worked as a psychologist in the Siegburg prison for 15 years and got to know the Rhineland people and their humour through that. Then, City Marketing director Jürgen Bruder invited the guests to a free beer after opening the barrel and then the festival officially began.

„Penelope, don’t touch the giraffe“, shouts one mother. The animal had toppled over earlier already. It - and its five buddies- came directly from Madagascar. „All real craftwork, no plastic“, said Christopher Schwarz from Essen, who is taking part in this festival with his wickerwork and crafts for the sixth time this year. Many muslim women were interested in his colourful products, he said, and are bringing the baskets back to Saudi-Arabia with them. The company Heinzelmann and Schwarz backs solidarity trade.

„We work like fair trade but without the label“, said Schwarz. This, he said, is cheaper for everybody, including the customer. „There’s a lot of idealism behind this.“ Idealism is also a motivation for Claude Schneider from Wissembourg in the Alsace region, who already came to the French market at the Late Bahnhofstraße. „It is very quiet at the moment, surprisingly“, she said. The La Boîte à Biscuits manufacturer for biscuits and jams comes to Bad Godesberg for many years as well.

„As a small business, you’ve got to be everywhere.“ The family also sells olives of all kinds and dried fruit - some biscuits are even gluten-free. That doesn’t apply to the olive bread and walnuts at the next stall, where goods from Saint-Brieuc in Brittany is sold. The seller there also hopes for more customers over the course of the weekend. The festival takes place from 11am until 10pm every day of the weekend.

After the opening gig with Seluna and Kiss My Blues on Friday, the Saturday stage sees Hot Coffee and Cheap Tea (12.30pm), Jame's Mum (2pm), Nadine Schulz and Tribal (3.45pm), Cynthia Nickschas & Friends (4.30pm) and from 7pm onwards Ganz und Gar, the Westernhagen-Tribute-Band. At the Fronhof, Heiner Rusche and his Don Mehloni circus school will entertain the kids, White Maze play at 6pm. On Sunday, there will be Jojo’s kids songs and the Piccolo puppet theatre (from 12.45 pm).

On the Theaterplatz, Planschemalöör will take to the stage (1pm), followed by Christian Meringolo & Band (3.30pm) and Deep in Rock (6pm). Initiated by the Bürger.Bad Godesberg club the Carillon will play more often again - the next time during the city festival from 1.30 pm on Saturday. The beautiful-sounding instrument with its 23 bells was built by the Dutch company Eijsbouts from Asten (near Eindhoven) for the national garden show in Bonn. At the beginning of 1981 it was moved to the park in Bad Godesberg and can be found near the Trinkpavillon.

Original text: Richard Bongartz Translation: Mareike Graepel