The International Mini Meeting returns to Germany with thousands of fans in attendance from 30 May to 3 June
After two postponements due to the pandemic, the nomadic International Mini Meeting finally returned to the country of its birth, Germany, for the first time since 2010. Hosted by Mini IG Bamberg, the four-day event took place from May 30-June 3 in in Geiselwind, Bavaria, and saw thousands of Mini fans in attendance.
Despite the Mini’s British origins, its fan base is very much global. Indeed, the first IMMs were all held in Germany, from 1978 to 1982. Since then, the event has moved across Europe, and traditionally comes back to England every five years.
On this occasion, the weather wasn’t exactly kind, with heavy rain bringing muddy conditions to the event ground, but the venue could thankfully boast a large indoor arena where bands and DJs played until the early hours.
And that’s what’s this event is all about – you get the usual show and shine, trade area and various games such as the hotly contested rocker cover racing, loudest exhaust competition and autotest, but above all the appeal is socialising with like-minded enthusiasts from all over Europe and beyond. Indeed, the evenings are lively affairs that extend into the early hours, with this year’s Saturday fancy dress party employing a ‘circus’ theme.
MINI itself also had a strong presence, hosting Flying Finn Rauno Aaltonen as well as bringing along Mk1 rally cars, the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally winning trophy and fun activities for the kids. You could even recreate a famous scene from the ’65 Monte with your own Mini, which was a nice touch.
Of course, another major appeal of the International Mini Meeting is the road trip, and we were lucky enough to join West Country Minis for a convoy through France and Belgium to Aachen, before heading to the event and returning via Luxembourg.
The event’s final evening sees the traditional key handover ceremony, when a novelty sized key is passed over to the next hosts. Next year’s IMM will return to the UK, and be hosted at Laughton Showground near Lewes by the Mini Cooper Club. If you fancy a trip overseas, in 2026 the key looks set to be handed to Mini Klub Polska for an event close to the Polish border with Czechia.
