Folk festivals in Heilbronn: luxury or financial burden for families?

Folk festivals in Heilbronn: luxury or financial burden for families?

The time of the folk festivals is just around the corner, and Heilbronn will soon be humming and buzzing. But while the anticipation for events such as the festival of lights and the wine village in Neckarsulm increases, many families are starting to feel uneasy. Especially in times of rising living costs, such leisure activities are a real luxury for some. SWR Current reports that folk festivals often have to be cut from the budget as financial pressure increases.

Ralf Unger from the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) in Heilbronn points out that for many people a visit to a folk festival is often not a regular pleasure, but rather a rare luxury. In Baden-Württemberg, over 1.4 million people were at risk of relative poverty at the turn of the year 2024, with people living alone and single mothers particularly affected.

Advice for visiting the folk festival

So what can you do to still enjoy the festival? Unger has some useful tips. He recommends bringing cash with you to better keep track of expenses. You should also take advantage of advance sales to get cheaper entry prices. If you bring your own snacks and drinks, you can also save. But free offers such as live music or shows are also a good way to have fun without putting too much strain on your wallet. And if you carpool, the costs don't get out of hand either. As Unger says: “You should avoid expensive souvenirs and instead take souvenir photos.”

These suggestions are particularly important because many families are under a lot of pressure from rising balls and increasing pressure on their household budget. Caritas also warns of hidden poverty, where many people are entitled to support but do not take advantage of it. In such cases, counseling services such as those offered by Caritas Heilbronn-Hohenlohe's general social counseling service are indispensable - they are currently in high demand and waiting times are long.

Child poverty in focus

The problem of poverty primarily affects families with large children or families at risk of poverty, which are to be supported through initiatives such as the CHILDREN'S BASIC SECURITY alliance, which was launched in 2009 by the federal association AWO. AWO is committed to ensuring that monetary family support is suitable for children and young people and calls for a reassessment of the socio-cultural subsistence minimum.

The goal is clear: high-income families should not receive more money through taxes than middle-class families through child benefit. “We have to ensure that those who are financially weaker are better supported,” said AWO representatives. This is all the more relevant since nominal wages in Germany rose by 5.4 percent last year, but consumer prices rose by 2.2 percent. This leads to real wages coming under pressure and purchasing power falling further.

If you consider that this composition means that around 13% of the population in Baden-Württemberg lives in the risk of relative poverty, it becomes clear that the AWO and other social associations such as Diakonie Heilbronn, which offer advice on financial problems, are urgently needed.

So whether you're enjoying the glitz and glamor of a folk festival or wondering at the checkout whether the price is really justified - one thing is certain: a good knack for handling money can make the difference.