In January and February until Ash Wednesday the emphasis is on Carnival: carnival revues, fancy dress balls, parties for young and old, the crowning of Frankfurt's Carnival prince and princess (broadcast live on TV), the storming of the Roemer by fools and - not to be forgotten - three large processions.

The Frankfurt Dippemess, with over 2 million visitors, is the largest fair in the Rhine-Main region. The Dippemess tradition goes back to the 12th century.

The Open Museums night has become one of Frankfurt's regular cultural highlights. Once a year, over 50 museums, exhibition centres and galleries in Frankfurt and Offenbach open their doors at the unusual time of 7 pm and remain open until 2 in the morning so that visitors can enjoy their large variety of displays and exhibitions.

Since as long ago as the 18th century it has been a Frankfurt tradition for residents to flock to the Stadtwald (city forest) on the Tuesday after Whitsuntide to celebrate their "national holiday", "Waeldchestag".

The lower part of Berger Strasse, between Bethmann Park and Hoehenstrasse, is an attractive boulevard for shopping and strolling with little shops, leisurely street cafés and trendy meeting places. A variety of different cultures make their mark on what is an almost Mediterranean street scene and once a year a large multicultural event takes place here - the Bergerstrasse Festival.

The Rose and Light Festival has been held in the Palmengarten since 1931. This queen of all flowers is showcased with approx. 12,000 cut roses in many different colours and varieties in wonderful bouquets and arrangements, surrounded by pot roses, climbing roses and standard roses as well as old scented varieties.

The Hoechst Castle Festival is the largest of Frankfurt's city district festivals and is held over four weeks every year. The festival took place for the first time in 1957 and to this day its epicentre is the ancient electoral palace with its distinctive tower in the picturesque old town of Hoechst.

Every summer Schweizer Strasse is transformed for one day into a long party street with delicious foods and traditional specialities. Schweizer Strasse also enjoys a great reputation among gourmets with its exclusive delicatessens, and a multitude of restaurants, bistros, cider pubs, cafés and trendy bars.

Frankfurt's mega event for lesbians and gay men is an exciting blend of parties, political demonstrations and a host of colourful shows.

It is one of the highlights of the summer and is the only funfair-style festival to be held in Frankfurt's city centre. At the Mainfest, visitors not only get to enjoy a huge range of gastronomic delights, but also a large selection of fairground rides, carousels and games.

The Museum Embankment Festival is one of the most important and largest art and cultural festivals in Europe and every year attracts up to 3 million visitors to Frankfurt's river Main embankment. This folk festival celebrates the city's Museum Embankment, which is unique in Germany, and where one important museum after another lines up like a string of pearls along the river Main.

In late summer each year the Rheingau region's winemakers present over 600 wines and sekts in the city's Fressgass'.

Frankfurt's innkeepers and wine press houses welcome all cider (or "Stoeffche") fans and turn the Roemerberg into the biggest cider bar in the city. There's a huge variety of differently flavoured home-pressed ciders to be tried here, from the full-bodied and dry to the fruity and mild, plus plenty of hearty Frankfurt speciality dishes to go with them.

The Dippemess starts on a Friday with the traditional beer barrel tapping and a large fireworks display at the fairground. The pottery market still offers every possible kind of household good, and the funfair tempts visitors with numerous fairground rides and snack stands.

The traditional Frankfurt Christmas Fair on the Roemerberg ensures a festive end to the year, and is one of the biggest and best in Germany. Against the picturesque backdrop of the Roemer and its timber framed houses, Christmassy market stands offer culinary specialities and seasonal goods for sale.