With 500,000 trees on an area of 600 hectares, Puch is the largest fruit-growing community in Austria - and for about 30 years has been the venue for a popular folk festival that extends beyond the borders of eastern Styria. Traditional music, dancing and delicious dishes such as apple strudel or must roast attract hundreds of visitors to the town's orchards at the end of April.

Under the white and pink blossoming trees, the Pucher people have set up a dance floor, tables and benches.
The stalls smell seductively of apples and cinnamon. Of doughnuts baked in oil or fresh apple cider.

 

The fruit growers guide their guests on a circular walk through the blossoming plantations. An artists' and craftsmen's mile invites visitors to look and buy. And a game of apple farmer golf and a children's programme provide entertainment.
The highlight for many is the marching in of the apple queens: Every three years, the new apple queen is elected from among them.