Tübingen Duck Race

Every year, since 1999, over 7000 yellow rubber ducks are let loose in the Necker River that flows through this historic town near Stuttgart in Germany. This is almost a third of the city’s population. The competition starts at midday; and anyone with a rubber duck can participate, and if you left yours at home in the bathtub, ducks can be rented before the race. Spectators stick their name and number on the ducks, release the toy in the water and cheer along the riverbank as the mass of yellow ducks bob up and down the designated stretch of the river. A metal weight is attached to their underside so that they don’t topple over on the way. The duck race, from Alleenbrücke to Neckarbrücke, is taken very seriously because there is €10,000 worth of prizes to be won.