It is one of the oldest fairs in Germany, boasting nostalgic rides, carousels, and modern attractions with around 500 different vendors and fair rides. More than one million visitors come each year. It all gets underway this weekend. It’s billed as the biggest fair in the Rhineland. The fair is open on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 3am, Sunday from 10am to 1am, Monday from 12pm to 1am and Tuesday from 12pm until midnight. Fairgrounds in Pützchen, Bonn-Beuel, Marktstraße, please see our story in English for more information.

Beethoven Fest Bonn: There will be many performances this weekend, including András Schiff on piano at the WCCB, United Nations Square, 8pm on Friday, and Wooden Elephant - String Quintet, Factory 45, Hochstadenring 45, at 8pm on Saturday. The festival runs from August 31 until September 29, with nearly 60 concerts in 25 locations. For complete information about programs, locations and how to get tickets, please visit the English language website.

A theater and family fest for the opening of the season of the Schauspiel Bonn (theater) in Bad Godesberg, In front of the Galeria Fronhof, there will be bobby car races for children, karaoke, a magic show and vikings chess as well as set design and improv theater. Food and beverages will be offered by community and refugee organizations. In the evening, there will be an open air concert with the Beethoven Orchestra on the big stage. Am Michaelshof 9, opens at 11:30am, Sunday (0228) 778008

“Music & Masquerade tour, an outdoor, walkthrough theatre experience at Grüne Spielstadt in Bonn Dransdorf... a Shakespearean tour through a magical forest - a theatre night full of masquerade, music, wondrous creatures, witty exchanges and mixed-up identities, and a beautiful dance finale! The tour shows a colourful mixture of various Shakespeare scenes, all along the lines of magical forests and beautiful Masquerade. Tickets can only be bought at the location right before the show.” Grüne Spielstadt, Ehemalige Stadtgärtnerei, Im Dransdorfer Feld, Friday, Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 5pm (0228) 2016116

On Sunday, September 9, places of historical importance in Bonn and the region will open their doors to visitors in connection with European Heritage Days. In Bonn alone, according to the official website, there are 57 historical monuments which can be visited. From the Old Cemetery to the Old Town Hall and the Egyptian Museum to the “Adenauerhaus” in Bad Honnef and “Burg Altendorf “in Meckenheim. In all of NRW, the Rhine-Sieg district has the most buildings on the historical registry. For a complete listing of all the places that can be visited, please visit their website. If you click on “Zum bundesweiten Programm”, it will take you to a search mechanism. Type in “Bonn” or whatever region you are interested in where it says “Suchbegriff” and then click “Suchen”. It will give you a complete listing of the locations that can be visited.

On Sunday, many hikers from Bonn and the region will set off again for the 41st GA hiking day. Start point this year is the castle Heimerzheim. The finish is at the Federal Police Bureau in Swisttal-Heimerzheim. Hikers can choose between 5, 10, 20 and 30 kilometers. There is also a GA hiking and outdoors fair. With starting tickets (costing 3 euros), participants will get a water bottle, free bus shuttle, a raffle ticket and much more. 9am - 5:30pm Sept. 9. Further information can be found at ga.de/wandertag.

“Celtic Night” on Friday, September 9 from 7pm until 10pm. The bands “Currach” from Bonn and “Dancing Voices” from Groningen in the Netherlands will perform Scottish and Irish music. It is open to the public and free of charge. Food and drink are available for purchase, at Dotty’s Sportsbar, Christian-Miesen-Straß1, Bonn.

The Altstadtfest (Old Town Fest) in the “City with flair” offers a variety of attractions and colorful market life in the historical town center, with street artists performing in the pedestrian areas. On Sunday, shops will be open from 1 to 6pm. Runs September 7 -9, Friday to Sunday.

Big band jazz music at the beer garden of the Park Restaurant Rheinaue, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 20, 2-5 pm, (0228) 374030

"Over the Rainbow", Conductor: Angela Billerbeck-Ries, evergreens, melodies from operas, operettas, musicals and films, gospels, spirituals, classical and sacred songs in German, English, French, Italian and Latin. Mey's Factory, Hennef, Beethovenstr. 21, 5pm, (02242) 914800

“Private wine tasting with AGBC BONN”: Join the American-German Business Club Bonn e.V. for a private tour of Weingut Emmerich, a small winery in the village of Leutesdorf. Mr. Emmerich himself will tell us secrets of his art. September 13, Thursday at 6pm. To find out more, please visit the AGBC website at agbc-bonn.de

“Drones and Inequality”: Johnny Miller (Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Entity, London School of Economics & Founder of africanDRONE) is an American photographer living in South Africa. His drone photo project “Unequal Scenes” attracted much attention recently at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. “Inequalities in our social fabric are oftentimes hidden, and hard to see from ground level. Visual barriers, including the structures themselves, prevent us from seeing the incredible contrasts that exist side by side in our cities.” Event is in English and free of charge, sponsored by Amerika Haus in cooperation with the Fritz Thyssen Foundation; September 25, 7pm, Apostelnkloster 13-15, Cologne, to register: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/drones-and-inequality-tickets-48801141528

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