Bremen

The ice wager is a curious Bremen tradition dating back to 1829. Although the Weser hasn't iced over for many years, on 6 January the Three Wise Men and a 'tailor' still meet on the dike to check if the river is frozen.

This annual cycling spectacular, Germany's biggest six-day race, takes place early in the year in the ÖVB Arena. More than 24 professional cyclists compete on the cycle track in over 20 disciplines to secure a podium place. It's a fun festival as well as a great sporting occasion, with live music, parties and international refreshments to enjoy between the contests.

In February, Germany's biggest samba carnival bursts into life in the centre of Bremen. It's an extravaganza of dazzling colours, flamboyant costumes, fanciful masks, amazing stilt walkers and pulsating drum rhythms. The real highlight is the grand parade of all the samba groups, as a sea of people, drums and exotic costumes thrusts its way from the market square to the bohemian Steintor quarter.

Germany's 'economic miracle' years – that is the big theme at the Bremen Classic Motorshow. The first major event of the season, it will take place from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 February in all the halls of Bremen Exhibition Centre. Motorcycles will be making a welcome return to the ÖVB Arena. Clubs and associations with a great deal of passion, know-how and manpower will be exhibiting.

On the last Saturday in May each year, Bremen's museums and galleries stay open late for Museums Night, with many of them welcoming visitors from 6pm to 1am. During this seven-hour marathon, the museums and galleries offer guided tours, music, plays, readings, food and lots of activities for everyone.

At the international street circus festival LA STRADA, established artists and little-known new-comers demonstrate their many talents – performing in the fresh air, generating a happy summer mood and entertaining spectators free of charge. LA STRADA offers something for everyone: light, breezy entertainment, stimulating plays, acrobatic shows and fun for all the family.

Bremen's town hall and Roland statue on the market square, both symbols of civic liberty, are included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. Free guided tours on World Heritage Day are the ideal opportunity to see these historically significant sites.

The Breminale arts festival is held at the fairground on the Weser riverbank. It lasts five days and offers a programme of live music in circus tents, outdoor art, jugglers and entertainers, inventive children's games, theatre, dance and poetry readings, as well as gorgeous food. Around 100 bands and performers entertain live and free of charge.

Bremen Music Festival explores music's vast emotional spectrum, close up and from every angle. It offers a packed programme, with dazzling performances by renowned musicians who offer stirring journeys across the centuries, genres and continents – in Bremen, Bremerhaven and selected venues in north-west Germany. The opening night presents a foretaste of the festival's variety, with musicians from around the world playing 24 concerts in eight venues around Bremen's beautifully illuminated market square.

Every year, Germany's oldest and third biggest public festival attracts over four million visitors to the Bürgerweide near Bremen's old quarter. The fairground features over 320 attractions in an area covering 100,000 square metres. There's also a quieter mini-Freimarkt on the market square, with piping hot doughnuts, roasted almonds and tasty liquorice set out on traditional-style stands.

Bremen's atmospheric Christmas market is set around the UNESCO-listed town hall and Roland statue. It is perfectly combining a historical backdrop with romantic Christmas lights and lovingly adorned booths. There's also the Schlachte-Zauber market, which lights up the Weser embankment with its historical and maritime-themed attractions. In among the flickering torches spice sellers, blacksmiths and bone carvers display their wares.