A Year of Festivals

Freaky, mad and wonderful stuff going on in the world to keep you inspired on your travels.

October - Entenrennen (Duck Race), Germany

GERMANY | Thursday, 17 September 2009 | Views [105]

Location: Alleenbrücke, Tübingen, Germany

Dates: Early October

Level of Participation: 4 – try your luck in the bobbing derby

Description:

It’s not exactly Running of the Bulls. Indeed, the ducks involved in this bridge-to-bridge race aren’t even alive: they’re the yellow, rubber species whose usual habitat is the bathtub. Nonetheless, Tübingen’s annual contest is spectacular, if inexplicable. In a random, Germanic version of the ‘Poohsticks’ game enjoyed by Piglet et al in Winnie-the-Pooh, a truck dumps some 7000 duckies into the Neckar River from Alleenbrücke.

The sunflower-coloured shower is accompanied by cheers from crowds lining the river banks. Many of the spectators are clutching a ticket with a number corresponding to one of the speeding water demons. The first synthetic contender past the finishing line at Neckarbrücke wins its patron a €1000 holiday voucher, with plenty of other prizes for runners-up.

Although the dazzling idea of the duck race is thought to come from Canada, it’s big business in Germany, where there are corporate duck-racing specialists. The season begins in March, with more than 150 competitions taking place in towns such as Erfurt, Bielefeld and Göttingen, as well as smaller villages.

Essentials: Get there before the race starts to buy a ticket.

Local Attractions: Come down from the duck-related adrenaline with a stroll around late-medieval Tübingen.

A hilltop fortress, cobbled alleys and halftimbered houses are the background for a lively University scene.

More Info: www.tuebinger-entenrennen.de in German

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