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What’s on in Germany: 9 events not to miss this September

The start of autumn in Germany marks the grand finale of the festival season, and while Oktoberfest is well-known around the world, virtually every German city has a different folk festival to celebrate. Here are some events to check out.

Published: 28 August 2024 16:15 CEST
Updated: 31 August 2024 08:04 CEST

Visitors ride a chair carousel at the Munich Oktoberfest. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Felix Hörhager

Do you have an event in Germany that you’d like us to highlight? Let us know by emailing news@thelocal.de

August 23rd to September 9th: Nuremberg’s Autumn Folk Festival

If you’re keen to experience a proper German beer fest but want to avoid either the high prices or massive crowds at Munich’s Oktoberfest, attending another southern German folk festival is a great place to start.

Nuremberg’s Autumn Folk Festival (Herbstvolksfest) is Bavaria’s second largest, after Oktoberfest, and is a great one for families. According to the event website, it’s also Bavaria’s cleanest and safest folk festival.

Just like at Oktoberfest, visitors can choose from a number of beer tents to drink, dance and sing in.

Also there is a wide selection of traditional foods and carnival snacks to choose from, as well as a handful of wild rides to experience. Don’t miss the Ferris wheel, or the tall swings around the ‘Bayern Tower’ to catch an incredible view of the Nuremberg Kongresshalle and the surrounding landscape.

There are also some special events in the programme, including a classic car parade on September 7th and a fireworks finale on September 8th.

August 28th – September 6th: Frankfurt’s Rheingau Wine Market

The Rheingau Wine Market takes place each year in the centre of the city on the “Freßgass,” a street which is regularly host to an assortment of epicurean pleasures.

During the market, vintners from around the Rheingau region come together to showcase their wines, and offer tastes (and bottles).

You can choose from over 600 wines and sparkling wines from well-known varietals like Rieslings to rare specialties.

Dippemess kiosk

A cashier at the “Circus Circus” ride at the Frankfurt Dippemess seen in front of trails of light from the spinning gondolas behind him. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Arne Dedert

September 6th to 22nd: Autumn Dippemess

Immediately following the Rheingau Wine Market is another of Frankfurt am Main’s most popular annual events, the Autumn Dippemess.

As Frankfurt’s main folk festival, Dippemess is known for its vibrant carnival atmosphere, culinary delights, wild rides and family fun.

As opposed to the bigger and perhaps rowdier Spring Dippemess, the autumn event is billed as a cosier version – making for a more relaxed affair, and a good reason to stay out late on a September evening despite the earlier sunsets.

September 7th and 8th: Tag des offenen Denkmals, Cologne

Many monuments in Cologne are not usually publicly open, but this changes every year on Open Monument Day.

This year more than 160 locations are hosting events across the city at the local monuments.

From buildings left by the Romans to mediaeval churches to green spaces to modern architectural wonders – for 48 hours all are open and accessible.

Note that some events require registration in advance.

September 7th and 14th: International Fireworks Competition in Hannover

At the International Fireworks Competition, some of the world’s best pyrotechnics teams are invited to Hannover to set up a show at the Herrenhausen Gardens.

Each team puts on a performance on one of five dates set between May and September, and in the final month of the year’s competition teams from Lithuania and Slovakia are performing on the 7th and the 14th respectively.

Fireworks competition in Hannover

Fireworks seen at the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover as part of the international fireworks competition. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Hassan Mahramzadeh / Handout

This year marks the 32nd iteration of the fireworks competition, and each of the teams partaking have not performed at the Herrenhausen Gardens before.

While fireworks are scheduled to start around 9 pm, these events start four hours earlier with various music and performance acts set around the gardens to enjoy leading up to the fiery airborne display.

September 12th to the 15th – and the 21st: Events at Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin

In the hangars of the old Tempelhof Airport, from the 12th to the 15th, new and contemporary works of art will be on display as part of the Positions Berlin Art Fair.

This year’s fair will feature over 60 exhibitors, presenting works by 200 artists from over 30 countries, with a focus on new perspectives.

Standard tickets are €20 for adults, while children under 18 are free.

The event also overlaps with Berlin Art Week (from the 11th to the 15th) which includes exhibitions and events in galleries across the German capital city.

Giant kites in Berlin

The festival of giant kites in Berlin brings massive kites and kite pilots to Tempelhofer Feld. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/STADT UND LAND Wohnbauten-Gesell | STADT UND LAND Wohnbauten-Gesell

Then on the 21st, you can head back to Tempelhof – this time for the Festival of Giant Kites.

Spectators at this free event can expect to see kites controlled by 80 professional kite pilots, including soaring octopuses with metre-long legs and giant geckos and more.

Other activities at the event include music and talk programmes, kite making, candy throwing, face painting and more.

September 18th to 21st: Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg

In Hamburg’s notorious St. Pauli district, the Reeperbahn Festival offers four days of music, workshops, discussions and more.

Reeperbahn Fest is Europe’s largest club festival and international platform for pop culture, temporarily transforming the Reeperbahn neighbourhood into an international music hub as well as a place to learn about new ideas and projects.

The motto of this year’s fest is “Let the music grow”.

September 21st to October 6th: Munich’s Oktoberfest

Every September millions of people from around the world flock to Munich to attend Oktoberfest, Germany’s largest folk festival and maybe the largest in the world.

The event takes place every day from 10 am to 11:30 pm (weekends from 9 am to midnight) in the city centre at Theresienwiese. Called Wiesn in German, the event’s original name comes from its location.

While various fall folk festivals in Germany offer similar rides, foods and generous servings of beer (including a number of so-called Oktoberfest events in other cities), you can’t beat the original Oktoberfest experience at Wiesn.

So if a Maßkrug of beer (or three) and an evening of song, dance and perhaps stumbling onto a roller coaster sounds fun to you, don the best Lederhosen or Dirndl you can find and catch a train to the Bavaria capital.

September 27th to October 13th: Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Volksfest

For those living in Baden-Württemberg, if you’re keen for a folk festival but not excited about trekking across the country, you could skip Wiesn and instead head to Wasen for the Cannstatter Volksfest.

Canstatter Volksfest parade

View of the large historical folk festival parade on the Cannstatter Wasen, where women and men wear traditional costumes from various regions. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Schmidt

Like many German folk festivals, Stuttgart’s begins with an official barrel tapping ceremony on the first day and ends with a fireworks display on the final evening. In between there are a number of other special events including the festival parade on the 29th or family days on October 2nd and 9th.

Additionally, visitors can expect to pick up on bits of the local Swabian culture.

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10 unmissable events happening in Germany this August

Do you have an event in Berlin or elsewhere in Germany that you’d like us to highlight? Let us know by emailing news@thelocal.de

July 27th – August 4th: Auer Dult – Jakobidult, Munich

We all know Munich’s Oktoberfest, but those truly in the know never pass up a visit to Auer Dult: a historic fairground and market that takes place at intervals throughout the year.

Since 1905, three times a year in spring, summer and autumn, the Auer Dult has offered nine days of shopping and revelling in the Bavarian capital. On Mariahilfplatz, in the South-Eastern district of Au, locals gather together in traditional costumes to wander around this historic market and enjoy the funfair.

This year, around 100,000 guests are expected to flock to Jakobidult: the summer version of the Auer Dult. Around 290 local vendors will be setting up stalls at the event alongside attractions and amusement rides.

Children can ride bumper cars, carousel or swingboats while parents enjoy perusing antiques and handmade ornaments. Afterwards, indulge in roasted sausages in the beer garden while soaking up some family theatre. As the motto implies, there’s a reason why ‘Dult is cult’!

August 3rd: Hamburg Pride Week

This year, Hamburg Pride Week is offering a host of events, all supported by representatives of queer clubs and networks across the city. The 2024 campaign is honing in on the rise of support for the far-right in Germany and the battle against it, while also calling for new measures to boost equality for the LGBTQ+ community.

While Hamburg’s Pride Week is scheduled for July 27th to August 4th, the CSD street festival on the Binnenalster is planned for August 2nd to 4th. The highlight of the week being, of course, the colourful and powerful CSD demo on Saturday, August 3rd.

During the festivities, readings, discussions, workshops and other events will take place in the lively St. Georg district, mostly at the Pride House. It promises to be a programme as diverse as queer life in Hamburg!

August 9th – 10th: Potsdamer Schlössernacht, Potsdam

Hopeless romantics should be sure not miss the 25th edition of the Potsdamer Schlössernacht (Night of the Castles) this August. On both evenings, the festively staged Sanssouci Park invites you to stroll through one of the most beautiful historical sites in the region and see Frederick the Great’s palaces lit up in an array of colourful lights, accompanied by music, dance and acrobatics.

Potsdamer Schlössernacht in 2023.

The Orangerie in the grounds of Sansoucci palace is lit up during the Potsdamer Schlössernacht in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jens Kalaene

A highlight of the festival remains the stunning light display you can catch at 9:45pm and 11pm on Saturday and Sunday. The light show, with up to 100 flying LED lights hovering in the night sky above the rooftops of Sanssouci Palace, almost looks like an array of dancing fireflies.

As well as light displays, this anniversary edition of the Potsdamer Schlössernacht has other activities in store, such as concerts by international artists, readings in the park, variety shows, theatre, dance, guided tours and art installations. A lovely way to enjoy a warm summer night in an absolutely breathtaking setting.

August 10th : Rhine in Flames Festival, Koblenz

One of the great cities of Germany is located where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet: Koblenz. This summer, the Koblenz Summer Festival takes place during three days in August, where you can experience the renowned Rhine in Flames.

This celebration, a must-see for thousands of people, is inseparable from the Middle Rhine Valley. The Rhein in Flammen, the largest and oldest firework show in Germany, enjoys over 200 years of tradition in Koblenz, as the first show goes back to around 1750. Today, the festival remains a sensational experience.

On August 10th, local cultural icons, such as castles on the Rhine, light up at night before an impressive firework display that spectators can enjoy from land or on ships within one of the longest boat parades in Europe. Alongside this stunning display, visitors can enjoy a varied entertainment programme and great catering from local restaurants and wine cellars – a true celebration of the region.

August 15th – 18th: Eat Play Love Festival, Cologne

In Cologne this time, the ever-popular Eat Play Love Festival is returning this year under the motto: “Summer, sun, lake and sound”. This year, Fühlinger See offers the perfect site for this event, which brings together sport, music, food and even a regatta.

This lifestyle festival attracts some of the best wakeboarders in the world, who flock to the city for the competition. For the less sporty, the festival also offers a dynamic cultural programme that includes cult electronic artists.

On Friday, they’ll be joined by the guys from Team Rhythmusgymnastik, who brand themselves “the sportiest and most attractive DJ team in the world”.

On top of sports and music, great food will also be on the menu, with everything from Afro fusion street food to delectable vegan ice-cream. Families are welcome, too: the kids’ area features a bouncy castle and some fun shows for little ones.

Wakeboarder at Eat Play Love in Cologne

A wakeboarder competes at the Eat Play Love festival in Cologne, North-Rhine Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marius Becker

August 22nd – 26th: Sandkerwa Bavarian Folk Festival

In Bamberg’s historic old town, there’s been a rendezvous held annually for decades: the Sandkerwa Bavarian Folk Festival, which kicked off way back in 1951. As usual the celebrations this year will take place during the last whole weekend of August in the Sand area – the oldest settlement area in Bamberg.

The word Kerwa is the Franconian term for church fair. That’s why the consecration of St Elisabeth’s Church, one of Bamberg’s smallest churches, usually opens the festival. This is also the reason the festival takes place around the Sandstraße.

These days, the Sandkerwa is one of the largest folk festivals in Bavaria, offering five days of celebration in the narrow streets of Bamberg amidst the romantic atmosphere of Little Venice.

Each year, over 200,000 people gather to (re)discover Franconian beer, specialities, music, dancing and traditional garb. Puppet stages, concerts and fishing competitions are also on the agenda this year, alongisde an impressive fireworks display.

August 23rd – 25th: Museumsuferfest

If you’ve ever walked the banks of the River Main in Frankfurt at the end of the summer, you might have stumbled upon large celebrations of music and dancing, with young people mixing up with older generations.

This is the Museumsurferfest, the hugely popular festival that takes place each year in the Hessian capital.

This art and culture event takes its name from the Museumsufer, the nickname given to the banks of the river due to the large number of museums located there. In honour of this special place, the city organises one of the largest and most spectacular culture festivals in Europe, with around one million international visitors. For the occasion, museums on the northern and southern banks of the Main keep their doors open late into the night.

Museumsuferfest in Frankfurt

A boat patrols the banks of Museumsufer during Frankfurt’s Museumsuferfest. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marius Becker

For those who love dancing, a stage programme brings together a variety of musical genres so that everyone can find something they dig. Hungry festival-goers can also find a diverse culinary offering at the event, offering tastes from around the globe in a nod to Frankfurt’s international community.

August 23rd – September 8th: Nuremberg Folk Festival

The second largest folk festival in Bavaria, is Nuremberg Folk Festival, is renowned for being clean, safe and above all fantastic fun for families. Over a little more than two weeks, this event welcomes thousands of visitors for a special programme of historical re-enactments, beer tapping, food tasting and a wide range of games and amusements.

“Have fun, feast, and meet friends” is the motto of this year’s edition. The Nuremberg Folk Festival also features themed celebrations, such as a ladies’ night, an international soirée, a family day, and even a superhero party for the most heroic guests.

On the culinary side, you can expect ice cream and the usual fairground confectionary, but also high-quality regional specialities.

Are you looking for an event where you can hop on adventure tours while learning about the greatest traditions of this German region? Perhaps some extraordinary fireworks to round off celebrations? If so, be sure to hop on a train to Nuremberg this August.

August 24th: Berlin’s Long Night of Museums

This is without a doubt one of Berlin’s most exciting events of the year – especially for culture vultures. This year, the capital’s Long Night of Museums takes place from 6pm to 2am on August 24th. In total, 75 museums will open their doors throughout the evening and 750 events will take place across the vibrant city – all accessible with just a single ticket.

Every Lange Nacht der Museen is different and unique. In 2024, the common theme is “Berlin Secrets” and some museums will open their doors for the very first time.

Performance at the Alter Museum in Berlin

A crowd gathers to watch a performance outside Berlin’s Alter Museum during the Long Night of the Museums. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fabian Sommer

From the C/O Berlin to the Deutsche Kinemathek or the Mitte Museum, discover some of the best museums in Berlin, split into four categories: Kunst (Art), Natur und Technik (Nature and technologies), Geschichte (History) and Kultur und Gesellschaft (Culture and society).

What secrets do paintings reveal when they are turned over or scrutinised? What mysteries of science are still unsolved? What does it mean to be forced to live your faith or sexual identity in secret? Those are some of the questions Berlin is asking you. Grab a friend and a few drinks, head on a tour of the city’s museums, and you may find the answer to some of them.

August 30th – September 8th: Berlin Beer Week

We couldn’t possibly end this list of August highlights without mentioning the Berlin Beer Week.

Though it needs no introduction for beer lovers, the event can be summarised in a few numbers: more than a hundred local and international breweries, six beer cruises to enjoy tastings on the water; ten days, and more than 35 events happening across twenty locations in Berlin.

The Berlin Beer Week 2024 also features the big opening and closing parties, rousing live music, food tastings and of course, the city’s best beer. This 10th anniversary will see some exciting collaborations with cult Berlin breweries who are producing some unique beers just for the occasion. Prost!

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