Dresden celebrated its 30th annual Stollen Festival on Saturday with a city-center parade and the unveiling of a mammoth 2 ton version of the traditional festive pastry.

The massive Advent cake, measuring 2.8 meters long, 0.92 meters high and weighing 2.1 tons, was assembled by dozens of bakers from more than 3,300 pieces and served as the centerpiece of the festivities.

Andreas Wippler, the chairman of the Dresden Stollen Protection Association, said the giant cake made him "particularly proud."

"We are celebrating powdered sugar moments, and I am very, very excited and looking forward to a wonderful day," he said.

Hundreds of participants, some in historical costumes, marched through the streets, illustrating the history of the Christmas treat.

The festival traces its roots to 1730, when Elector Augustus the Strong commissioned a giant stollen for a baroque military celebration.