Monthly Overview - March 2015

Holidays (Federal or Bavaria specific) and Important Dates  

Photo: R.Hess geo-select FotoArt

   
School holidays March 28-April 12
March 29 - Palm Sunday

Events (by no means a complete list)

Herzo

Erlangen
March 7 - 8 Easter Egg Market 40 Artists. Free, Activities for children as well.
March 21 - Found Bike Sale Looking for a cheap bike? Abandoned bikes found in the city of Erlangen go on auction today.

March 29 - Open Sunday!

Nürnberg 

Every Thursday, City Marketing Nürnberg publishes weekend tips! 

Ongoing - DAI has a number of events for English speakers in March
March 14 - Fruhjahr Run 
March 18-22 Freizeit Messe €11 Adults €6.50 11-14 (10 and under free) The area´s biggest fair for vacation, caravaning, garden and other free time activities
March 20 - April 6 Easter Market

Other
It´s the beginning of the new Volkshochschule sessions!

Feb. 23- March 1 Bamberg´s Short Film Festival - adult tickets €7
Feb 27 - March 14 Stark Bier Season (and festival), Munich
March 15 - Open Sunday, Fürth
Feb 28 - March 1 Women´s Fair, Furth €5
March 6 - 8 Health Fair, Bamberg €6 Adults
March 7 Forchheim Kellerwald Run
March 12 - 22 Spring Market, Fürth
March 14 - 29 Würzburg Fruhjahr Volksfest!
March 21 Kneipenfest 16 locations, 15 bands €11 purchased ahead of time
March 26 - April 19 Easter Fountain time! See here for PDF of Frankischer Schweiz dates. 
March 27 - Bieberbach´s famous Osterbrunnen are decorated!

March 27 - 28 Wine Press Hall Festival, Würzburg Ring in the beginning of the wine season! 

Other things to do? 

From September - April 2015 go ice skating at Nürnberg Arena!

Click here for a list of tours in the area in English, many are indoors (museums). 

Visit the Nürnberg Planetarium. 

Take a day ski trip! Loads of companies organize them. Wöhrl, Jochen Schweizer, Snowstars, Intersport (ask at the store for brochures) for example. 

Take a salsa class.

Wednesdays and Thursday evenings, go to the public ceramic workshop in Nürnberg, just €2 per evening! 

Go (indoor) rockclimbing. Kids just €2,50.  

Kick-Fabrik - Nürnberg indoor soccer and mini-golf

Rock cut beer celler tours (Nürnberg) every Sunday 11:30am in English. €5 

Take a hike! Link to VGN hiking information site here (English). Combine hiking and beer with the 5 Seidla Tour (English). Hiking trails in and around Herzo here. Nature parks in the region may be found here (link in German, click on interaktiven Karte for the map). 

Head to the Frankischer Schweiz (link in English) for breweries, hiking, castles, rock climbing, canoeing and more. An interactive map of hiking trails in the Frankischer Schweiz can be found here. 

Take your own wine walk in Nürnberg (link in German, map on right hand side of page).

Sign up for a class at the Volkshochschule (page includes links to the VHS in the HENhaus area).

Visit a pool or sauna- Atlantis is in Herzo, Nürnberg has many to choose from (link in  German), Stein (near Nürnberg) is home of Palm Beach, Bamberg has Bambados Can´t decide?  Schwimmbadcheck is an online review site for public pools, link is in English.

Local Resources- Things to Do!

Bamberg
Bamigo (also has a FB site)  Hyper local news. Interviews with local business owners, Bamberg specific news, local controversies and debates, heavy on Brose Baskets coverage.
Die Zwiebel - online and also found around town. Monthly Bamberg specific magazine (free). Features include the history of street names, local culture, interviews with notable residents, business owners, new or notable groups in the city.
MyBamberg.de Bamberg´s City Marketing website. Up to date information on the city´s major festivals (Jazz and Blues, Wine Fest, Bamberg Zaubert).
GoBamberg.de Local politics, culture, information on important local sites for sightseeing, beer culture.
KulturBamberg This could have EVERY event going on in Bamberg and Landkreis Bamberg. The booklet is available for free around town, published monthly. I personally find the print version better available for free around the city and at the tourist information center.
Feki Geared towards University students, contains a lot of information on nightlife and leisure activities. Also does fun things like list local happy hours, rate ice creams and pizzas, etc.
Fränkischer Nacht also available for free around the city, a local event guide focused on music/clubs
Bamberg´s Kirchweih Kalendar (also available for free in tourist information center)

Erlangen
City website Top  right corner has Google translate embedded. See Kultur for events.
City Marketing website in English
Hugo Magazine Monthly magazine. Art, Culture, Events
Fritzi - Family friendly events and information Erlangen and vicinity. Published a few times a year.

Forchheim
Forchheim city website in English, scroll down for "Highlights in Forchheim" note: many broschures about the area are downloadable from the site and in English.
Hugo Magazine Forchheim Art, Culture, Events,

Fürth 
Hugo Magazine Fürth Art. Cuture, Events
Festivals, Markets, Special Events (PDF)
Events from Stadt-Land-Fuerth

Herzogenaurach
Herzo city website (in English) has local events listed, most also in English. Major festivals and events here.

Franken in General
Echt Oberfranken (monthly magazine) Local news for the Oberfranken area. Bamberg is prominently featured.
Infranken,de
Plärrer - Magazine covering Nürnberg, Fürth and Erlangen. Local news and events
Wine festivals in Franken
Welcome to Franconia - local events, businesses, etc. in English
Frankenradar - event listing, really comprehensive, Fully searchable (location, date, type of event, etc.)
Frankentipps - website dedicated to events in the area. Fully searchable (location, date, etc.)
Bockbier anstich information
Bierland Oberfranken - beer related events
Fränkischer Schweiz Kirchweih Calendar
Franken Tourist Information in English, yearly highlights here
Kerwa Calendar
Wine festivals Würzburg and area
Events in Bavaria (English)

Nürnberg
Curt Magazine (monthly)Local news and events, as well as an event calendar. Interviews with local people of  interest.
Prinz magazine (monthly) Super fun magazine. Features such as rating local lunches, vegan eating in the area, interviews with prominent local personalities. Heavy on food/restaurant coverage.
Nürnberg Kirchweih Kalendar (PDF)
Nürnberg Tourist Information yearly highlights in English
Nürnberg Tourist Information - Festivals and Markets in English
Every Thursday "tips" for things to do the following weekend can be found here.

Würzburg
City event highlights in English
Calendar of events 

February 2- Mariä Lichtmess

February 2 is Mariä Lichtmess in Germany. Traditionally the day on which ALL Christmas ornaments and decoration are put away, and when the farmers return to work in the fields. 
It´s also the precursor to Groundhog Day. Instead of a groundhog, if the badgers see their shadow Winter will be 6 weeks longer. 

Photo: http://www.meinanzeiger.de/gotha/natur/zu-lichtmess-sah-der-dachs-den-schatten-d25017.html

The saying goes:

"Ist’s an Lichtmess hell und rein,
wird ein langer Winter sein.
Wenn es aber stürmt und schneit,
ist der Frühling nicht mehr weit."

Or, when Lichtmess is clear and bright, Winter will be longer. If it is stormy and snowing, Spring will come quicker. 
For more about the significance of the day in history, religion and how it is depicted in art, see the Wikipedia page here. More here about customs around the world after Epiphany.