A month of German-themed events welcome

(August 17, 2015) - The sounds of traditional German polka music and dancing will soon fill Tampa International Airport’s Main Terminal as the airport gears up for a month of events culminating with the launch of new nonstop service to Frankfurt on Lufthansa Airlines. 

On Aug. 21, the Airport will kick off the festivities with Mein Heimatland Musikanten, an Orlando-based German folk group, and the Gulf Coast Enzianer Schuhplattler Dance Group. The event runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., and includes two 15-minute dance performances.

The music and dancing will take place next to the Airport’s newly-constructed German village, located in the Main Terminal between Airside E and F, which will serve as the backdrop for music, food, beer, wine-tasting and other entertainment throughout the month of celebrations.

The village, constructed by a local set designer, features several brightly-colored houses reminiscent of something you might see in a historic German village.

Outside of the village square, the Airport Gallery will exhibit the work of Otto Neumann, a German Expressionist painter and printmaker.

“With this new service, Germany has become closer than ever before to the residents of Tampa Bay,” said Maria Cook, Tampa International’s Event Manager. “We want to expose the general public to German culture and traditions, and hopefully entice them to visit Germany.”

The five-day-a-week nonstop air service on Lufthansa begins Sept. 25, and is expected to have an annual economic impact on the Tampa Bay region of $97 million and create roughly 680 jobs. Each flight offers 298 seats aboard an Airbus A340-300.

The Lufthansa flights are the latest win in the airport’s drive to bring more international flights to the region. Since 2010, international passenger traffic at the airport has increased more than 50 percent. With the addition of Lufthansa, the airport anticipates ending 2015 with a 70 percent bump in international passenger traffic compared to fiscal year 2010. That translates into an increase in visitors to the region’s beaches, restaurants and hotels, and a bump for Tampa Bay area businesses.

Upcoming events

Aug. 21:

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Mein Heimatland Musikanten

5:15 – 5:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.: Gulf Coast Enzianer Schuhplattler Dance Group

Aug. 26:

2 - 3 p.m.: Helmut Drews on authentic button-box accordion

Aug. 28:

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Alex Meixner Band

Sept. 2:

2 – 3 p.m.: Helmut Drews

Sept. 4:

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: DeLeon Band

5:15 – 5:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.: Gulf Coast Enzianer Schuhplattler Dance Group

Sept. 9:

2 – 3 p.m.: Helmut Drews

Sept. 11:

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Northern Sounds Band

Sept. 16:

2 – 3 p.m.: Helmut Drews

Sept. 18:

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Mein Heimatland Musikanten

5:15 – 5:30 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.: Gulf Coast Enzianer Schuhplattler Dance Group

Sept. 23:

2 - 3 p.m. Helmut Drews

 

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