For more than four decades, Fort Wayne summers have been kicking off with Germanfest, and it’s just around the corner.

This year’s edition returns to Headwaters Park from Wednesday, June 5, to Sunday, June 9. 

The celebration means downtown will be filled with revelers celebrating the spirit of Freundlichkeit (friendliness). 

A tradition

Remember when you were a kid, and it seemed like summers lasted forever? That’s because the summer after your third grade represents one eighth of your life experiences with summer. Do the math on your own age and think about what fraction of your total summer experience is represented in 2024. 

There’s no cure for the time dilation that comes with age and experience, but there are two easy ways to slow it down: setting annual rituals to mark the passage of time and trying new experiences to keep all the seasons from feeling the same. 

Germanfest can help you with both of those methods.

Generations of families in the region make the annual pilgrimage to Germanfest to relive treasured experiences and share them with the next generations. It’s a reliable spot to run across old friends and meet up with those people you’ve been trying to find an excuse to hang out with.

Saturday’s free Familienfest from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. across Clinton Street at Headwaters Park West gives the younger generation their introduction to the summer festival scene, and it’s likely to make an impression. 

The graffiti wall returns, and you’ll be able to try axe throwing as well. German Heritage Society will be providing a scavenger hunt. 

That’s not all, though. 

New experiences abound, with performances, games, interactive activities, creative play, education opportunities, and goods from local family-oriented vendors. 

The real star on Saturday is the Wienerdog Nationals dachshund races at 4 p.m. 

Yes, it’s as much fun as you think it is, maybe more. This is a special event with a ton of tradition that attracts fans from all over the Midwest. It’s guaranteed to impress your social media friends from outside the area.

The track has been moved to the north side of Headwaters Park West to provide some extra shade for fans of dachshund sports. Also new this year: the best spots at the new track are set aside for participants, so if you want the premier experience, you’ll need to register at facebook.com/Germanfest.

Something for the adults

If you’re new to the area or have not experienced the traditional opening to the Fort Wayne summer festival season, there are some new experiences waiting for adults at Germanfest, as well. 

If it’s been too long since you enjoyed eating lunch outside with your co-workers, pop by Germanfest around noon for the amazing bratwurst, German potato salad, and sauerkraut. It’s a great spot for lunch. The pavilion keeps you shaded, the breeze keeps you cool, and maybe you can sneak a beer while your boss is back at the office.

Speaking of beer, the other adult activity is the Germanfest evenings, when Headwaters Park is turned into the closest thing to a Bierhalle as a city park facility is likely to get. 

With minors vacating the premises at 9 p.m., adults take over and Chapman’s Brewing is back with this year’s unique incarnation of Schwarzbier. Available for a limited time, it’s the perfect drink on a summer night with new friends under a raucous tent. 

The pavilion will be filled with more than just partygoers, though. There will be music and performances throughout the week.

Still looking for a new experience? How about Hammerschlagen, which is as brutal as it sounds. Be there Wednesday night and you can check it out. Part relay race, part hammer-pounding, all hustle.

Speaking of events that sound painful and actually are, Friday night is the Masskrugrennen, the traditional contest of endurance that requires participants to hold a full stein at arm’s length longer than the other contestants. It’s German perseverance on display.

Before you go

Along with festivals, summers in Fort Wayne also bring plenty of construction, and a growing city has to put up with it here and there. 

A little awareness makes it easy, though. There’s free parking with a shuttle service from the Fourth Street parking lot. Lots of parking and the shuttles drop you right at the tent. On a nice night, it’s a pleasant walk if that’s your thing. 

There’s plenty of pay parking downtown just a few blocks away, but it’s not any closer than the free spots, and there’s no shuttle ride back for tired kiddos or weary celebrants and their designated drivers.