ZDF-Fernsehgarten, Television show at ZDF broadcasting center in Mainz, Germany.
ZDF-Fernsehgarten is an entertainment show broadcast live on Sunday mornings during spring and summer from the broadcasting center in Mainz-Lerchenberg. The recording takes place in a garden next to the studio buildings, where several hundred audience members sit on benches and watch the performances.
The first edition aired on June 29, 1986, and Ilona Christen hosted the program until 2002 wearing her yellow raincoat. Since then, hosts have changed several times and the format has adapted to new trends in German television entertainment.
The program brings Schlager stars, folk music groups and international guests to an open-air stage where the live audience sings along and claps. Between performances, hosts chat with artists and the studio audience often joins in games and dance routines.
Tickets for the free audience recording can be reserved online in advance, and visitors should expect any weather and dress accordingly. Broadcasts usually start around noon and last several hours, with breaks scheduled for set changes.
In 2014, the show entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running live open-air entertainment program with 49,507 minutes on air. Some episodes take place even in the rain, and the audience still sits outside in the garden.
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