Frankfurt is heading into summer: Professional light installations and a special "Night of the Museums" kicked off this year's open-air season

Frankfurt am Main is known far and wide for its colourful diversity of open-air events. The number of outdoor happenings held in Frankfurt is obviously greatest during summer, when street festivals, markets and cultural spectacles attract thousands of tourists and day-trippers to the Main metropolis from near and far. This year's festival season kicked off as per usual with the traditional Spring Dippemess folk fair, the Luminale light show and the ever-popular Museum Night. With the sunshine and warm weather having finally returned, Frankfurt locals and visitors may now look forward to many more event highlights being held throughout Frankfurt over the coming weeks and months.

Frankfurt's outdoor festival season kicked off in mid-April with the LUMINALE 2010. During this high-tech light show, which runs parallel to the Light+Building industry fair, various buildings, monuments and parks are bathed in beautiful seas of light. Illumination artists from around the world set the spotlight on some 150 locations across Frankfurt, accompanied by equally colourful fringe programmes. Spectators had a free shuttle bus service available for getting them from location to location. This year marked the fifth time that the Biennale Lighting Culture was held in Frankfurt am Main.

The Spring Dippemess, one of Frankfurt oldest and most popular folk fairs, was being held at Ratsweg Fairground at the same time, with visitors basking in the year’s first extended periods of sunshine. The origins of this traditional folk fair date back to the 14th century, when the fair was used exclusively to sell pottery ware. Nowadays, the Dippemess – the largest folk fair in the Rhine-Main region – features over 30 high-tech rides, a party pavilion presenting a festive show programme and much, much more.

Just a short while ago, on 24th April, Frankfurt hosted one of the year's most popular cultural highlights. Kindly accompanied by perfect temperatures, the 11th Night of the Museums once again drew thousands of culture enthusiasts to the banks of the River Main, where museums kept their doors open until the early morning hours. For those unfamiliar with one of Frankfurt's premier attractions, the museum embankment is a unique collection of first-class museums set on or very near to the banks of the majestic River Main. Some 40,000 visitors were on hand to enjoy this year's night-time cultural excursion, which included some 50 museums and exhibition venues, many spectacular art exhibitions and a superb variety of special shows and events.

And this is just the start of Frankfurt's summer festivities! The open-air marathon continues on 01st May with the Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop. Last year's inaugural cycling race had replaced the internationally renowned Around the Henninger Tower, which had first been held in the Main metropolis in 1962. This premier cycling event consists of numerous amateur races as well as the professional competition, the finish line of which is set spectacularly in front of Alte Oper, Frankfurt’s beautiful old opera house.

It is with these top-flight events that Frankfurt kicks off its 2010 event season. Further attractions are to follow, including – amongst many others – the famous Museum Embankment Festival, held on the final weekend in August, and the time-honoured Frankfurt Christmas Market. Of one thing you may be certain: There's always something going on in Frankfurt am Main.