The “Loschter Handkeesfescht” is usually around May 1st and lasts for three days.
THE HISTORY OF THE HANDKEESFESCH
At the beginning of the 20th century, “butter-pushing” and “handkeesdrikking” were centuries-old traditions in “Loschter” households. After a large parade in Karlsruhe in 1924, at which a delegation of “Loschter Handkeesdrikker” were greeted with great enthusiasm, the two committed Lustadt residents Georg Lehr and Georg Ott decided to launch the 1st “Loschter Handkeesfescht” in 1925. The idyllic spot in the Lustadt Mayflower Forest was chosen as the location, and over the decades the name “Loschter Handkeesplatz” became a synonym for the Palatinate’s joie de vivre and coziness.
The declared aim of the club’s founders was to organize a family-friendly folk festival at affordable prices. In 1925, only a few hundred visitors found their way to the festival grounds, but over the decades the initially modest festival has become one of the largest folk festivals in the southern Palatinate. Tens of thousands of festival-goers now visit us every year. In addition to around 5,000 seats (around 1,000 of which are covered), the festival grounds in the heart of the Mayflower Forest offer plenty of space for our guests.
On nice days, it is especially young families who, well equipped with blankets, picnic in a sunny spot in the forest at moderate prices.
(Excerpt from loschter-handkeesfescht.de)