Vote with your wallet
Pflasterspektakel’s performers count on you to make their efforts worthwhile. Audiences are expected to give generously to artists that delight--but feel free to stiff the boring ones. This makes for dynamic shows and encourages the performers to interact with the audience. So keep in mind that while the festival is technically free, you should come jangling with lots of €1 and €2 coins (exchange bigger bills for smaller change at the Infopoint Hauptplatz).
Bring the kids
The Kinderspektakel (“spectacle for children”) is a dream come true for kids—and parents too. Tot-friendly entertainers, games, and contests fill various locations, including the park of the Landhaus at Promenade, the Pfarrplatz, and the Spectacle Tent.
Come out at night
During the nightline portion of the festival, musicians take their act into city bars around the Hauptplatz, rocking out until the wee hours.
There are plenty of hotels on the Hauptplatz, right where all the action is
Though if you prefer a quieter spot to lay your head, choose lodgings outside the city’s center. Trams and buses serve festival-goers arriving from within the city, though some lines don’t run their regular routes due to performance spaces being in the way; refer to the festival website’s transit page for updated information.
And don’t forget to pack layers
Pflasterspektakel’s website says that the festival’s weather is so variable from year to year that it has ranged “from temperatures of over 35° C to thunderstorms and downpours.”