The weekend’s fast approaching and four friends are debating about what to do. Ashley wants to do some shopping. Emily votes for a wine fest. Andrew wants nothing more than to ride on some scary rides. The somewhat impractical Zack is itching to buy a pony. How can our fab four ever possibly come to a compromise?

The answer is out there, at least if it happens to be the weekend of Nov. 9-13, the dates on which the 534th edition of the Hochheimer Markt plays out. Hochheim, a pleasant town perched high above vineyards flanking the north bank of the Main River, has been hosting a market since 1484, when Kaiser Friedrich III first granted the city the right to hold such an affair. The times may have changed, but the sentiment behind these autumn markets so prevalent in Germany at this time of year has not. With the harvest in, it’s time to sell up the bounty of the fields and vines, store up on the goods needed to get through a long cold winter and have a little fun in the process.

While its name says market, the event’s more akin to a county fair. Around half a million visitors flock here annually to shop for bargains, indulge in yummy food and drink, play games of chance, admire livestock and simply socialize.

The goods on offer run from roto-tillers to rowing machines, pottery to potted plants, and much in between, particularly in the realm of home and garden, health, fitness and travel. The locally grown wine available here includes great representations of the famed Rheingau wine-making region; the area’s sparkling wines are of the highest quality as well. Gourmet tastes are catered to in the form of fare such as juicy pork knuckles or plank-roasted salmon. A historical marketplace showcases craftsmen plying their trades. A fest tent offers space for hundreds of revelers to heft frosty mugs and stomp and sway in time to music played by bands.

The “big kid” rides here include a giant Ferris wheel, a roller coaster careening through the dark known as the Black Hole, and the Booster Maxxx, two free-spinning gondolas attached to a giant arm.

In terms of livestock shows, tradition dictates that Saturday morning is for horses, while Sunday morning belongs to cows, sheep and goats. Presentations take place at the Viehmarktgelände at 9:30 a.m. both days. From 7 a.m. Monday morning, around 30 dealers will sell horses, ponies, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits and fowl.

On the market’s last day, a Tuesday, a 30% discount applies to rides from 2-6 p.m., and a display of fireworks goes off at 7 p.m.

The various sections of the market all have different opening times, but all are in full swing by noon and the last of the booths are shuttered up by midnight. Admission is free. (To catch the bands playing from 8 p.m. Friday or Saturday night, a 5 euro admission fee applies.)

To get to the market from Wiesbaden, simply hop the S1 commuter train from the main station and take it as far as Hochheim; the ride takes all of 11 minutes. From the train station, the market is a 15-20 minute uphill walk. It’s manageable, but be prepared for a bit of a climb and wear comfy shoes. Alternately, a shuttle bus runs between the train station and the market area each day except for Tuesday.

Those from further afield who have no choice but to drive can park in a vast lot at the Max-Planck-Ring in Delkenheim, at various open spaces in nearby Nordenstadt, or across the river by the Opel factory in Rüsselsheim; all these locations are served by shuttle buses on both weekend days.

For more about the market, see hochheim-tourismus.de/en/Events/Hochheim-Market.

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