Festivals, Events and Traditions across 17 Exceptional German Heritage Cities

The 17 Historic Highlights of Germany have been perfecting the art of celebration for centuries – and there’s always something happening all year long.

These events and celebrations are living traditions, created by and for the locals first and foremost, welcoming visitors to join.

Nordische Filmtage 2018

Regensburg Herbst Dult Beer Festival, historicgermany.com

The Historic Highlights Festival & Events say:
Willkommen in Deutschland

Germany’s Historic Highlights have preserved their customs and traditions, as well as their “Volksfeste” (lit. peoples’ festivals), whose characters are often closely connected to the history of the respective cities. During a visit to Germany, a trip to a “Volksfest” should definitely be part of the itinerary.

You’ll be surprised to learn that major events start as early as March and are most frequent from May to August. They continue well into the fall, followed by Christmas Markets.

Some of these festive holiday celebrations, known as Weihnachtsmarkt in German, open as early as the third week of November in our cities, perfect for getting into the Christmas spirit around Thanksgiving break.

Some fairs even go further back in history, such as the Send in Münster or the Dult and Plärrer in Augsburg.

The name “Send” derives from the German word “Synode” (Engl. ‘synod’), the meeting of clergymen and senior representatives of the diocese in Münster, held twice a year since the 9th century. On this occasion, a market has been held since the 11th century, which differed from the regular weekly market for townspeople and lifted sales restrictions or privileges for local merchants and craftsmen. Since 1578, the so-called “Sendschwert” (lit. Send Sword) has been hung out at the Town Hall in Münster, a reminder that any unruly behavior at the fair used to be punishable. The “Send” takes place three times a year on the square in front of the “Schloss Münster” (Münster City Palace).

In Augsburg, the fun fair dates back to 967. Originally, the “Osterdult” was a cloth market which continued to develop over the centuries and offers all sorts of goods for sale. The “Dult” is accompanied by the “Plärrer”, another fun fair with amusements and rides, whose name derives from the “Geplärre” (German for ‘blubbering’) of the visitors. In his poem “Das Plärrerlied” (lit. The Plärrer Song), Augsburg-born author Bertolt Brecht honors the event, which now looks back on a 1,000-year-old tradition.

The tradition of putting up a maypole goes back to pre-Roman times and is an old Germanic custom. In Osnabrück, the city celebrates this ceremony each year with the “Maiwoche” (May Week). The entire Old Town transforms into a festival, culinary delights meet music of all styles, and the whole city gets into a party mood. If you love Christmas markets, this will feel like an atmospheric summer version.

The maritime history of the Hanseatic city of Rostock has preserved the tradition of sailing regattas, especially in the seaside resort Warnemünde. The “Warnemünder Woche” (Warnemünde Week) in spring marks the start of the summer season and is a living tradition. A special event is the so-called “Niege Ümgang” on the first Saturday in July. Brass bands, local costume groups, Neptune and his entourage, pilots and fishermen, millers and bakers, butchers, merchants and innkeepers come together in a historical parade through the town. Accompanied by drums, barkers and shanty singing, another highlight of the event is the traditional “Warnemünder Hochzeit” (Warnemünde Wedding) with the “Brautwaschen” (lit. washing of the bride). The event ends with the tapping of the beer keg by the “Hanseatische Brauerei Rostock” (Hanseatic Brewery Rostock).

In Würzburg, the first “Volksfest” takes place in July, with classic beer tents and festival beer brewed especially for the Kiliani-Volksfest. It is a traditional festival with folk music, traditional costumes, and fun rides. A festival in honor of Saint Kilian, the patron saint of the city of Würzburg. The university town that’s known for both wine and beer is gearing up to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the Kiliani folk festival in 2030.

Speaking of beer fests: The Regensburg Dult, whose roots trace back to the 14th and 15th centuries, has something of an Oktoberfest feel. Numerous amusement park rides, stalls selling an array of local products and crafts, and fresh-baked fish and other food specialties take center stage for many of the visitors.

The “Heidelberger Herbst” (Heidelberg Autumn Festival) is a street festival in the Old Town, celebrated every year in September. A large arts & crafts market takes over the main street, and the medieval spectacle “Churpfälzer Markt” (lit. Electoral Palatinate Market) takes place on the “Universitätsplatz” (University Square). A wide range of music styles is offered on all squares of the Old Town, and the gastronomic offer features all kinds of specialties.

Another autumn festival is the Stadtfest (City Festival) in Wiesbaden, which is celebrated at the end of September. Entertainment programs and attractions await you throughout the entire city center, on all squares and in the parks in front of the “Staatstheater” (Hessian State Theater). Whether it’s autumn decorations, the first wines of the new season, hot chestnuts, or painted pumpkins and crafts. If your feet are tired after the stroll from attraction to attraction, have a rest in front of one of the many stages and enjoy the last rays of autumn sunshine accompanied by, for instance, jazz music and a glass of excellent sparkling wine.

Aachen

CHIO Aachen (late June-early July): the world’s largest equestrian tournament, drawing some 350,000 spectators to watch Olympic-level riders compete in the shadow of Charlemagne’s cathedral.

Aachen Market Square, historicgermany.com

Augsburg

Plärrer (Easter & late August/early September): Bavaria-Swabia’s largest Volksfest, over 1,000 years of tradition, beer tents, carnival rides, and Friday fireworks. The Dult market runs simultaneously in spring between Jakobertor and Vogeltor.

Augsburg Plärrer Beerfest, Ted Keppler

Bonn

Beethovenfest (September): a major international classical music festival honoring the city’s native son, staged across venues citywide.

Beethoven Bonn HHOG

Erfurt

DomStufen-Festspiele (summer): the 70 cathedral steps connecting the Dom and St. Severi transform into one of the world’s most beautiful open-air festival stages, opera and musicals reaching hundreds of thousands of visitors over the years.

Erfurt Cathedral Steps Festival Plays_c_Theater Erfurt, Lutz Edelhoff CC BY NC ND

Freiburg

ZMF, the Zeltmusik Festival (summer): a three-week tent festival spanning every genre from classical to rock, pop, jazz, and blues.

Freiburg ZMF Tent Music Festival (c) ZMF, Klaus Polskowski

Heidelberg

Heidelberger Herbst (September) paired with the castle’s summer illuminations: an Old Town street festival with arts and crafts on Hauptstrasse and the medieval Churpfälzer Market, plus the night sky over Heidelberg Castle lit in fireworks, a tradition running since 1610.

Heidelberg Herbst Festival, Heidelberg Marketing GmbH, Tobias Schwerdt

Koblenz

Rhein in Flammen, Rhine in Flames (summer): the Middle Rhine Valley’s night sky lit by red Bengal flares and fireworks, tracing back to the first display in 1756, drawing over 250,000 spectators for Europe’s largest illuminated ship procession along a 17-kilometer stretch of river.

Koblenz Rhine in Flames, Koblenz-Touristik GmbH, Johannes Bruchhof

Lübeck

Duckstein Festival (summer): an open-air festival on the banks of the Trave blending art, culture, and culinary delights.

Luebeck Duckstein Festival, LTM

Münster

Send (March, July, October): Münsterland’s largest Volksfest on Schlossplatz, descended from 11th-century synodal markets, with the ceremonial Sendschwert hanging at the town hall and nearly a million visitors across the year’s three editions.

Skulptur Projekte Münster (every 10 years, next due 2027): a once-a-decade exhibition unlike anything else on this list. Since 1977, international artists have installed free contemporary sculpture across public spaces throughout the city; after each edition, Münster buys a handful of the works outright, so the town itself grows a little richer in art with every cycle. Rare, unhurried, and worth planning a trip around.

Münster Send Volksfest, Münsterland eV, Philipp Foelting

Osnabrück

Maiwoche (May): the entire Old Town celebrates the maypole tradition with music across every genre and a festive atmosphere, like a summer Christmas market.

Osnabrück May Week Festival, TOL, Hermann Pentermann

Potsdam

Tulpenfest (mid-April): since 1996, some 30,000 tulips transform the Holländisches Viertel, the largest Dutch quarter outside the Netherlands, into “Klein-Amsterdam,” with Dutch cheese vendors, clog dancers, and craftspeople.

Potsdam Dutch Quarter, PMSG, Julia Nimke

Regensburg

Dult (spring & autumn): a medieval market festival with an Oktoberfest atmosphere, carnival rides, craft stalls, and fresh-baked fish specialties, with roots tracing to the 14th-15th centuries.

Regensburg Herbst Dult Beer Festival, historicgermany.com

Regensburg Dult Beer Festival, RTG, Hans Bauer, bauercom.eu

Rostock/Warnemünde

Warnemünder Woche (early July) and the Hanse Sail (August): international sailing regattas and the historic Niege Ümgang parade give way in August to windjammers, schooners, and museum ships crowding the harbor for one of the world’s great maritime festivals, with visitors able to sail aboard, not just watch.

FAVORITE Panoramic view of Rostock city harbor

Trier

Altstadtfest (last weekend in June): Germany’s oldest city’s own street-wide Old Town festival, music and stalls filling the historic center.

Trier Wine Stand Main Square, Trier Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Jan Malburg

Tübingen

Stocherkahnrennen (June): the traditional Neckar punt-boat race, students competing in costume before a crowd of thousands.

Wiesbaden

Rheingauer Weinwoche (ten days from the second Friday in August): 118 stalls, nearly 100 of them pouring Rheingau wine, spread across Schlossplatz in front of City Hall, drawing more than 400,000 visitors to what locals call the longest wine bar in the world. The Stadtfest follows in late September with a city-wide celebration through the center and the parks fronting the Staatstheater, new-season wines, hot chestnuts, and music stages.

Wiesbaden Wine Festival, WICM, Roger Richter

Wiesbaden Wine Festival, WICM, Roger Richter

Würzburg

The main beer festival is Kiliani-Volksfest (July), but there’s also a spring edition in the weeks leading up to Lent: Frühjahrsvolkfest—with wine festivals as quieter counterparts.

Würzburg Frühjahrsvolksfest, historicgermany.com

Maximizing Your Festival & Events Experience

Lübeck HanseKulturFestival, LTM

Accommodation and Timing

• Reserve lodging well in advance, especially for the weekends during large festivals.
• Consider weekday visits
• Plan overnight stays to maximize the experience

Deutsche Bahn ICE High Speed Train, Deutsche Bahn AG, Wolfgang Klee

Navigation and Comfort

• Utilize public transportation—all historic centers are walkable
• Combine the festival/event with a visit to aanother Historic Highlight nearby
• Book tours & tickets at the local tourist office

Freiburg Culinaria Food Fair (c) FWTM Antal

Local Engagement

• Learn about traditions and craft native to your destination, shop local
• Sample regional, seasonal specialties
• Allow time for unexpected discoveries and spontaneous encounters

Check the Events Calendar

Don’t forget, there’s almost always something happening in our Historic Highlights of Germany. Check the events calendar here.