So after two failed attempts to actually attend when I needed it, I finally made it to the Newcomers Festival last weekend to check it out for myself. Even after a couple of years here it was still a useful event.

Admittedly, if you didn’t get there on Sunday, then you will have to wait for 12 months for your next opportunity, but it is well worth the visit. And in the meantime, you’ll be able to find all of the attendees on the Newcomers Festival website. 

In particular it was good to see all of the international schools represented, as well as a couple of universities. In particular, of use would have been the various financial and insurance advisors as many of the big advisory companies charge near extortionate fees.

The largest group of stands though was for the city council showcasing everything on offer for foreigners. Most of the stands were culture related, but a very useful one was the Stadtschulamt (Education office) which supports newly arrived children.

Just a shame about the rain otherwise the entertainment programme would have been more fun!