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17 Beer Festivals in Germany [Beer Festivals To Visit in 2026]

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Germany is the place to experience beer while having loads of fun. Visit these German beer festivals while you are in Germany.

Get familiar with the drinking culture in Germany to avoid making obvious expat mistakes. 😉

Table of content

#1 Oktoberfest

okotberfest

Oktoberfest is the biggest beer festival in Germany, considering the number of people visiting it every year and the amount of beer consumed.

Timely, book a place in one of the brewery tents. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enter the tent and enjoy the fest to the fullest. Each brewery has its own booking portal.

The breweries usually open the Oktoberfest bookings in April or May.

Remember to get your traditional Bavarian dress. The traditional men’s dress is called “Lederhosen*,” And the traditional women’s dress is called “Dirndl*.” You can buy them on Amazon.

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#2 Starkbierfest

  • Official website: https://paulaner-nockherberg.com/strong-beer-festival/
  • Date: 06.03 to 29.03.2026
    Traditionally, Starkbierfest in Bavaria happens during the fasting time. It starts on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch) and can last till Easter Sunday.
  • City: Munich, Germany
  • Number of people: 4500 visitors during peak time on weekends (Source: sueddeutsche.de)

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#3 Stuttgart Beer Festival (Cannstatter Wasen)

stuttgart beer festival

Cannstatter Wasen is the second largest beer festival in Germany, based on the number of people visiting it every year.

#4 Gäubodenvolksfest

Gäubodenvolksfest Straubing
Gäubodenvolksfest
Source: DALIBRI, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

#5 Bergkirchweih

#6 Hamburg DOM

hamburg dom
  • Official website: https://www.hamburg.de/dom/
  • Date: It occurs 3 times a year
    Winterdom: 07.11 to 07.12.2025 (06.11 to 06.12.2026)
    Frühlingsdom (Springdom): 20.03 to 19.04.2026
    Sommerdom (Summerdom): 24.07 to 30.08.2026
  • City: Hamburg, Germany
  • Number of people: 1.3 million people visited Hamburgdom this spring. (Source: ndr.de)

#7 Freimarkt (Ischa Freimaak)

Freimarkt in Bremen
Source: Tarawneh, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

#8 Oktoberfests in Berlin

Several mini Oktoberfests take place in Berlin. Breweries in Berlin host these wonderful festivals for beer lovers.

#9 International Berlin Beer Festival

#10 Kulmbach Beer Week (Kulmbacher Bierwoche)

#11 Regensburg Dult

  • Official website: https://www.r-dult.com/
  • Date: It occurs twice every year
    Maidult Regensburg: 14.05 to 31.05.2026
    Herbstdult Regensburg: no dates announced yet
  • City: Regensburg, Germany
  • Number of people: The Number of visitors in 2025 increased compared to that in 2024. No specific figures have been published. However, approximately 1 million people visited the Regensburg Dult in 2025. (Source: Tvaktuell)

#12 Nuremberg’s Volksfest

nuremberg fruehlingsfest

Nuremberg’s Volksfest is the third-largest beer festival in Germany. Every year, 2 million people come here to enjoy beer and the beautiful city.

It occurs twice every year. Once in the summer (Sommerfest) and in the fall (Herbstfest)

  • Official website:https://www.volksfest-nuernberg.de/
  • Date:
    • Sommerfest -> 04.04 to 26.04.2026
    • Herbstfest -> 28.08 to 13.09.2026
  • City: Nuremberg, Germany
  • Number of people: 2 million people (Source: br)

#13 Annafest Forchheim

#14 Fränkisches Kirschenfest Pretzfeld

#15 Walberlafest

#16 Mendiger Gambrinusfest

#17 Honky Tonk Kneipenfestival

18 different German cities celebrate Honky Tonk festivals on different dates.

  • Official website: https://www.honky-tonk.de/
  • Date: The festival occurs in the following months; Jan, Feb, March, April, May, Sept, Oct, and Nov
  • City: Bad Lauterberg, Villach, Weiz, Höxter, Poppenhausen, Leipzig, Rheine, Wolfsburg, Gifhorn, Braunschweig, Goslar, Bad Salzuflen, Paderborn, Schwerin, Wismar, Eisenach, Stralsund, Peine, Celle, Mühlhausen, Rostock

Beer festivals organized by breweries in Germany

Each brewery organizes its own beer festivals throughout the year. You can find the schedule of such beer festivals in Germany on Beer Universum (German).

What are the largest beer festivals in Germany?

Oktoberfest, Stuttgart Beer Festival (Cannstatter Wasen), and Nuremberg’s Frühlingsfest are the top three most visited beer festivals in Germany.

Every year, millions of visitors enjoy several mugs of beer here. Volksmusik, big tents, and happy faces make the beer festivals in Germany a must-visit.

You should also get familiar with the drinking culture in Germany so you can enjoy beer festivals even more.

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