Samba in the heart of Franconia?

Every year on the second weekend in July, the International Samba-Festival in Coburg attracts around 180.000 visitors to the picturesque Franconian town on the river Itz. What once began with a few thousand visitors is the biggest Samba Festival outside Brazil today. Born from a crazy idea thought up by the organisers Rolf Beyersdorf and Christof Pilarzyk 20 years ago, it has become a Festival with around 3,000 Sambistas, and in the meantime, well known far beyond the borders of Germany. The Festival has also become a great advertisement for Coburg as well as a plus for the town’s image and economy. According to a DWIF study, an additional 8.5 million euros flow into the city during the Samba weekend, from which hotels, restaurateurs and stall operators in particular benefit. In 2011, the Festival received the Bavarian Export Prize from the Bavarian Ministry of Economics and in 2014, the Festival was pleased to be awarded the title “Best Samba event outside Brazil”, from the Edison Carneiro Prize.