With over 200 years of history, the folk festival can look back on a great tradition - and it is cherished. The annual Volksfest parade on the first Sunday of the festival is a spectacle for the whole family. Colorful traditional costume groups and bands, historical militias and various groups from all over the country parade four kilometers from the Cannstatter Kursaal through the decorated, narrow streets of Stuttgart's Bad Cannstatt district to the Wasen. The parade is watched by 250,000 spectators on the roadside and around half a million people in front of the television.

The organisation is in the hands of the so-called “Cannstatter Volksfestverein”. Founded in 1994 to uphold the traditions of the Cannstatter Volksfest, the club has about 560 members.