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Mindelheim’s Frundsbergfest Runs Without Animals During Heatwave

Organisers say the change protects people and animals while helping the two-weekend festival continue under safer conditions.

Overview

  • Organisers and the city decided that the big Festumzug on Sunday, June 28, and the Bauernmarkt entries over the first weekend would proceed without animals because of an ongoing heatwave.
  • All participant involvement at the affected events was made voluntary and participants were urged to wear light clothing, drink enough water and assess their own limits.
  • Horses, oxen, donkeys, geese, chickens, sheep and goats stayed in the stables and foot groups with handcarts and wagons replaced animal-drawn elements in the processions.
  • Traffic and crowd measures remained in force, including Maximilianstraße closed for tribune setup from June 24, full inner-city closures on festival weekends and shuttle buses from designated parking lots.
  • Evening music, markets and camp displays sustained visitor atmosphere as temperatures cooled, and organisers said weather forecasts for the second weekend make a return to the original programme, including animals, likely.