Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Germany

Hofbräuhaus musicians, Munich
The spirit of Oktoberfest lives on year-round in Munich's beer halls.
  • Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, visit the official tourism site for Germany.
  • This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Germany. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
  • See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe

2024

November 9:  Night of Broken Glass Remembrance Day; anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (remembrances, but no closures)

November 11:  Martinstag (St. Martin's Day) and official start to Karneval season (colorful costumes and revelry in Cologne)

Mid-November–mid-January 2025:  Christmas Garden (light show held in gardens and parks in many cities, including Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Mainau Island on Lake Constance)

November 22:  Repentance Day (closures in Saxony)

November 23–December 31 (but closed Nov 26 for Totensonntag):  Tollwood Winter Festival, Munich (music, circus, and cultural events performed on Oktoberfest fairgrounds, plus Christmas market until December 23)

December:  Christmas markets throughout Germany, particularly in Nürnberg, Munich, Rothenburg, and Freiburg, and Berlin

December 6:  Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day; St. Nick, often with companion in tow, often seen around town on evening prior)

December 24:  Christmas Eve (Der Heilige Abend; Germans decorate trees and open presents, shops close at noon)

December 25:  Christmas Day (closures)

December 26:  Boxing Day (closures)

December 31:  New Year's Eve (Silvester; fireworks, particularly big in Berlin)

2025

January 1:  New Year's Day (closures)

January 6:  Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige, volunteers dressed as Three Kings go door-to-door caroling and collecting for charity; some closures)

January 24–February 2:  CTM Festival, Berlin (electronic / experimental music and art)

January 26–February 2:  Hot-Air Balloon Festival, Lake Tegern (east of Oberammergau, in Bavaria)

February–March:  Fasching/Fastnacht/Karneval, primarily in southern regions and Cologne (carnival season — parties and parades in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday; Cologne's huge Rosenmontag parade is February 12)

February 13–23:  Berlin International Film Festival (a.k.a. "Berlinale")

April 11–May 4:  Thuringian Bach Weeks, Erfurt

April 18:  Good Friday (Karfreitag; closures)

April 19–May 4:  Spring Festival, Nürnberg (rides and costumes in Luitpoldhain park)

April 20 & April 21:  Easter (Ostern) Sunday and Monday (closures)

April 25–May 11:  Spring Festival, Munich (Frühlingsfestival, the "little sister of Oktoberfest")

May 1:  May Day (maypole dances in rural areas, labor demonstrations and street festivals in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, closures)

May 3:  Rhine in Flames festival, Bonn (fireworks; nearby Rhine towns host Rhine in Flames later in the year)

May 9–10:  Die Blaue Nacht, Nürnberg (art events, including projections on castle walls)

May 9–11:  Hafengeburtstag (harbor's birthday), Hamburg (giant maritime festival)

May 11–18:  International Dixieland Festival, Dresden

May 17–24:  Green Sauce Festival, Frankfurt (street music, green-sauce sampling)

May 17–June 14:  Dresden Music Festival (classical music performances)

May 21–30:  Fressgass' Fest, Frankfurt

May 23–June 22:  Mozartfest, Würzburg

May 28–June 8 (likely):  Weindorf wine festival, Würzburg

May 29:  Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt; closures)

June 6–7:  Elbjazz, Hamburg

June 6–8:  Rock am Ring rock festival, Nürburg (near Koblenz — not to be confused with Nürnberg)

June 6–9:  Carnival of Cultures, Berlin (street parade on Sunday)

June 6–9:  Meistertrunk Show, Rothenburg (historic play and market, medieval costumes, Biergarten parties)

June 6–15:  Handel Festival, Halle

June 8 & 9:  Pentecost (Pfingsten) and Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag; maypole dancing and flower-bedecked cattle in some rural areas, closures)

June 10–12 (likely):  Melt Festival, Gräfenhainichen (electronic music and indie rock, near Wittenberg)

June 12–22:  Bach Festival, Leipzig

June 12–28 (likely):  St. Katharina Open air, Nürnberg (concert series of eclectic acts in the Old Town)

June 13–15:  Luther's Wedding festival, Wittenberg

Mid-June (3 days; iffy):  Stadtteilfest Bunte Republik Neustadt, Dresden (huge counter-cultural block party celebrating the Outer New Town's tongue-in-cheek status as an independent republic)

June 19:  Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam; processions — particularly in Bavaria, flower carpets — particularly in rural Baden-Württemberg, closures across southern and western Germany)

June 20–22:  Traumzeit Music Festival, Duisburg (eclectic line-up staged in a former industrial site)

June 20–July 20 (likely):  Tollwood Summer Festival, Munich (concert series, art, street theater)

June 21–29:  Kieler Woche, Kiel (world's largest sailing festival, featuring historical-ship parades and cultural events in the city center)

June 25–29:  Fusion Festival, Neustrelitz (Burning Man–esque counterculture free-for-all held on the grounds of a former airfield north of Berlin)

June 26–29:  Oberlindenhock, Freiburg (street food, live music)

June 27–29:  Elbhangfest, Dresden (music, dance, wine)

July 3–8:  Freiburg Wine Festival (local wines, live music)

July 4–20 (likely):  Kiliani Volksfest, Würzburg (county fair–type folk festival)

July 5:  Rhine in Flames festival, Bingen / Rüdesheim (fireworks)

Early July:  Classic Open Air, Berlin (music on Gendarmenmarkt)

Weekends July 11–27 (likely):  Kaltenberg Knights' Tournament (huge jousting festival, near Munich)

July 18–20 (likely):  Cologne Pride Street Festival

July 18–27:  Kinderzeche, Dinkelsbühl (traditional dancing, parades)

July 20 & August 2 (likely):  Klassik Open Air, Nürnberg (series of free classical concerts and fireworks in Luitpoldhain park)

July 25–27 (likely):  Bardentreffen Nürnberg (world music festival)

July 25–August 10 (likely):  Sommerwerft, Frankfurt (theatre and arts festival)

July 26 (likely):  Berlin Pride (a.k.a. Christopher Street Day Berlin)

August 9:  Rhine in Flames festival, Koblenz (fireworks)

August 13–17 (likely):  Weindorf wine festival, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

August 15:  Assumption (Mariä Himmelfahrt; closures in Bavaria and Saarland)

August 21–25:  Sandkerwa Bavarian folk festival, Bamberg

August 21–25 (likely):  Wine festival, Cochem

August 22–23:  Potsdamer Schössernacht (Potsdam's palaces lit up, nighttime performances in the gardens, midnight fireworks over Sanssouci both nights)

August 22–24 (likely):  Museumsuferfest, Frankfurt (music, food, culture)

August 23 (likely):  Long Night of Museums, Berlin (most museums open until 2 a.m., with one-off installations and performances)

August 27–September 5 (likely):  Rheingau Wine Festival, Frankfurt

August 29–September 7 (likely):  Berlin Beer Week

August 29–September 14:  Nürnberg Fall Folk Festival (costumes, rides in Luitpoldhain park)

August 30 (iffy):  Kölner Lichter, Cologne (fireworks and music)

September 4–13 (likely):  International Literature Festival Berlin

September 5–7:  Reichsstadt Festival, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

September 12–14:  Medieval festival, Selb (on the Czech border, northeast of Nürnberg)

September 12–16 & 19–22:  Wurstmarkt, Bad Dürkheim (world's biggest wine festival, near Heidelberg)

September 12–October 25 (likely; Fridays and Saturdays):  Berliner Oktoberfest

September 13:  Rhine in Flames festival, Oberwesel (fireworks)

September 20:  Rhine in Flames festival, St. Goar (fireworks)

September 20–October 5:  Oktoberfest, Munich (a.k.a. Wies'n)

September 25–October 4 (likely):  Filmfest Hamburg

September 26–October 12:  Cannstatter Volksfest (Oktoberfest in Stuttgart)

September 26–October 13:  Wine harvest festival, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse

October 3:  German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit; closures)

October 3–12 (likely):  Berlin Festival of Lights (light installations on landmark buildings)

October 10–12 (likely):  Onion Market festival, Weimar

October 15–19:  Frankfurter Buchmesse (huge book fair and publishers' convention)

October 17–November 2 (likely; Friday–Sunday):  Frankenstein Halloween, Königstein Castle (southeast of Dresden)

October 30–November 2:  Jazzfest Berlin

October 31:  Reformation Day celebration, Wittenberg (and closures in some Protestant areas)

November 1:  All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen, closures in southern and western Germany)

November 6:  Leonhardifahrt, Bad Tölz (traditional Bavarian religious procession in spa town south of Munich)

November 9:  Night of Broken Glass Remembrance Day; anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (remembrances, but no closures)

November 11:  Martinstag (St. Martin's Day) and official start to Karneval season (colorful costumes and revelry in Cologne)

Mid-November–mid-January 2025:  Christmas Garden (light show held in gardens and parks in many cities, including Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Mainau Island on Lake Constance)

November 22:  Repentance Day (closures in Saxony)

November 22–December 31 (likely; closed Nov 26 for Totensonntag):  Tollwood Winter Festival, Munich (music, circus, and cultural events performed on Oktoberfest fairgrounds, plus Christmas market until December 23)

December:  Christmas markets throughout Germany, particularly in Nürnberg, Munich, Rothenburg, and Freiburg, and Berlin

December 6:  Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day; St. Nick, often with companion in tow, often seen around town on evening prior)

December 24:  Christmas Eve (Der Heilige Abend; Germans decorate trees and open presents, shops close at noon)

December 25:  Christmas Day (closures)

December 26:  Boxing Day (closures)

December 31:  New Year's Eve (Silvester; fireworks, particularly big in Berlin)