We recently attended the Dorffest (village festival) in Bruchmüchlbach. While the weather wasn’t great, I got an excuse to not cook dinner, and we got the chance to talk with locals and even some new American neighbors.

We all know the classic saying, “when in Rome, do what the Romans do.” Well I’ll admit to not always being the best German. I don’t always sweep the walkway on Saturday and sometimes I’m late to bring in the trash can. One time in a desperate time-crunch, I even worked in the yard on a Sunday.

With limited language skills and a lack of confidence, it was hard to get to know my neighbors. Attending the festival has given us excuses to get to know our neighbors over a beer and festival food. It’s a great social lubricant to make the language barrier a little less intimidating.

How to Find a Festival

Many village festivals are not widely advertised. The best way to discover them is to get off the autobahn and drive through the surrounding villages. Festivals and events are usually posted on the sign welcoming you to the town. Take a picture and you can translate the sign later if you need to. You can also check the events page for upcoming attractions in your area on our event site. 

Author’s Profile: Kelly is a DOD wife, devoted dog-mom, a mediocre cook, a whiskey aficionado and an avid traveler who’s exploring the Kaiserslautern area with dog and husband in tow.