It’s a peaceful fall day in Frankfurt. The sun is (probably not) shining, and leaves are hanging on to their branches hopefully, already having turned gold and red and orange. It’s just a typical autumn day, and all is quiet – except for Frankfurt International School, which is already buzzing with excitement. It’s Applefest, one of the school’s major events. 

“Applefest at FIS is an event where people get together and buy food which raises money for service groups,” Maria, a freshman, explains. “There are also games and activities that can be done.” The event attracts all sorts of people from the FIS community, and truly is something that brings the entire school together. 

“This was my first year at FIS…when I showed up for the first shift I thought no one was going to come, since none of the stands were busy yet,” Olivia, another freshman, notes, “but boy was I wrong. Once the second shift started there were huge lines and people from all over school coming to support service groups.” These service group booths are spread all throughout the boulevard, and each booth is full of upper school students, all selling their booth’s wares to the crowd. These wares range from baked goods to FIS merchandise – and everything in between.

“The total amount of money at the end,” Maria says, “is divided between all the service groups, which raises money for them.” She volunteered at the Poland Drive station, which helps support kids in a children’s home. “I chose to do this because I really like little kids and I really hope that we will make a difference for these kids.”

Olivia also volunteered at this event, working for Girl Up and Poland Drive. Yet that’s not to say that this is all work and no play. “My favorite part of Applefest was getting to work with others and see my friends,” Olivia says. “At my old school in the United States, we never had anything like this…I would occasionally volunteer to help sell items at my old elementary school’s PTA, but we didn’t have many service groups there. I liked that we were all working together for a common goal and got to have a great experience too!”

Maria agrees, “My favourite part of Applefest is exploring the different types of food while hanging out with friends and having a good time.” 

But it’s important not to forget that this isn’t only a good time for upper school students – but younger kids, too. In fact, the entire lower field was decked out for Applefest, with games run by service fair groups, bounce houses, and other inflatables. Max, a 5th grader, says that in Applefest you, “play games with friends, and eat food and drinks”. He explains that Applefest “is like a smaller version of Worldfest and it’s called Applefest because it represents the season of the apples in this region”. He decided that his favorite part of Applefest was eating the waffles with powdered sugar (“And for my mother,” he adds, “it was drinking the apple wine!”).

Applefest certainly is an event for the entire community to enjoy. With so many opportunities for everyone, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most popular events of the year. It’s a day for the whole family to enjoy, whether you’re supporting a service group or playing with friends (or enjoying a nice glass of apple wine!). 

Certainly more than a typical fall day.