New Year's Concert: to celebrate the arrival of a new year, the city’s Alte Oper hosts its annual music concert featuring classical music. Seasonal favourites are performed by the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie.

Fastnachtszug Carnival: marking the end of winter, this lively and colourful carnival has a history dating back to the 14th century. The traditional parade features medieval characters like court jesters, scarecrows and witches to portray man’s struggle and victory over harsh winter spirits. The city centre comes alive with music, food, drinking and other merrymaking.

Spring Dippe Fair: this important spring festival is the first outdoor fair after the winter, lasting for three weeks as a half million visitors come to shop at the market and enjoy the great food and drink. Old-style carnival rides provide some tame entertainment, and it all wraps up with a massive fireworks display.

Fine Art Fair: the city’s Messe complex is the site of this premier art show designed to bring out the world’s greatest up-and-coming artists. Some 50 galleries take part in this important art event, helping young and adventurous artists get their name out.

Mainfest: the entire city gathers along the Main River near the Römerberg and Mainkai areas for this entertaining festival. A big fairground is set up where carnival rides keep the kids busy. Live music is a big component of Mainfest, as is drinking and eating, and it’s all capped off with fireworks over the river.

Frankfurt Museums Night: for one night each year Frankfurt’s museums stay open until the wee hours of the night. The goal is to expose the museums to a wider audience, promote their highlights and put on special exhibits. Shuttles run between the museums to help visitors see as much as they can in one night.

Frankfurt Forest Folk Festival: for 3 days the surrounding forest of Niederrad becomes the setting for Frankfurt’s annual folk festival. A fairground, market,music concerts, and lotsof traditional games for the kids make this a great family event. Just minutes from the city, this festival allows everyone to take a break from the concrete and get back in touch with nature and their heritage.

Rose and Light Festival: Palm Park bursts into life for 3 days during the annual Rose and Light Festival. The entire park is illuminated with candles and lanterns, creating a truly magical setting. Special dance and music performances are followed up with a huge fireworks show.

Parade of Cultures: on the 21st of the month, this special parade moves through the city to promote cultural and racial harmony. During the day, a procession of amazing costumes and special performances from around the world raise ethnic awareness. At night the clubs come alive with special world music events.

Opernplatz Festival: the theme of this summer festival is eating Frankfurter sausages, drinking apple cider and mingling with the locals. It all happens at the Alte Oper. To provide some direction, a full schedule of cabaret acts, street performers and musicians entertain the crowds.

Sound of Frankfurt: all along the pedestrian Zeil, local and visiting musicians perform outdoors for the crowds. In every nook and cranny between shops, music fills the space. It’s a great day to get out and enjoy a lively street scene to go with the shopping.

Frankfurt Cinema Week: for an entire week Frankfurt is transformed into a big outdoor movie theatre. Films from all genres are screened in the most unlikely venues, such as parks and on river boats. It’s an innovative way to watch the latest international films, and a lot of fun.

Museum Quay Festival: in an effort to showcase its broad range of cultural attractions, this hugely popular festival centres around Frankfurt’s museums, concert halls and theatres. For three days, there are cultural events, outdoor concerts, and even technology exhibits along the river and in every cultural venue in the city.

Rainbow Quai: this colourful three day event gives Frankfurt’s gay and lesbian community the chance to cut loose. Located along the banks of the Main River, food, music and other diverse entertainment keeps the city buzzing. Following on the tail of the Museum Quay Festival, this event is proving to be a very popular occasion.

Autumn Dippe Fair: this mirror of the huge Spring Fair brings the joys of autumn and the harvest to Frankfurt. The theme here is old-fashioned entertainment for the whole family. Carousels, roller coasters and other rides keep the kids busy, while adults can enjoy the famous apple wine and regional foods. A massive market provides endless shopping opportunities, and everything is wrapped up as usual with a fireworks show.

Rheingau Wine Fair: Frankfurt’s only wine festival proves that Germans have more than just beer on their mind. Each year the wineries from the Rheingau region converge on the city’s beautiful Fressgasse district to offer tastes of more than 600 wines.

Auftakt Festival: this special festival is dedicated to contemporary music. Each year, one composer and one musician from around the world are chosen to be the centrepiece of this musical event. The line-up is always top-notch, and the setting at the Alte Oper is perfect.

Frankfurt Book Fair: it started in the 1400s, and Frankfurt’s annual book fair is still going strong as the world’s most famous event of its kind. The Messe is the site for hundreds of authors, publishers and booksellers to exchange ideas and works of writing.

Frankfurt Jazz Festival: a big circus tent outside the Hessicher Rundfunk Broadcast Studio is where some of the finest jazz musicians from around Germany and the world come each year. This jazz festival is the longest-running event in Europe, and respected worldwide. The list of musicians is always interesting and invigorating.

Weitsicht Festival: the profession of photojournalism is the focus of this interesting event which happens each year at the Hessischer Rundfunk Broadcast Studio. Famous and up-and-coming journalists and photographers show off their latest projects and hold a series of useful workshops.

Frankfurt Christmas Fair (Weihnachtsmarkt): the Old Town comes alive for several weeks as some 200 stalls fill the medieval heart of Frankfurt to recreate the traditional Christmas fairs of old. Although it spreads out in all directions, the Römerberg area is the best place to enjoy mulled wine, the towering Swiss Christmas tree and all the charming stalls selling traditional toys and goodies.