German Wine and Beer Festivals 2013

2013 German Wine and Beer Festivals in Germany

For connoisseurs of wine and beer, spring and summer are  fantastic times to be in Germany. From Berlin to the Rhineland, there is a great choice of festivals to attend, depending on whether you prefer to conduct your wine-tasting in one of the small towns along the Mosel or in Rudesheim on the Rhine or at wine festivals in the larger towns like Stuttgart, Hamburg, Mainz, Frankfurt or Aachen. And then there are the almighty giant beer festivals to keep you merry as well.

The German wine and beer festivals are a great time to enjoy a variety of wines and beers, but it’s also an opportunity to observe the local traditions and sample local foods, as well as to meet a nice cross-section of people.

Some Beer and Wine Festivals in 2013

**Some of these dates may change so please always check the festival website before making your travel plans.**
Starkbierzeit 2013 - Munich’s Strong Beer Festival

February 22 – March 23, 2013 (Löwenbräukeller) and March 1 – 17, 2013 (Paulaner am Nockherberg) :  This is Munich’s secret beer festival in spring. Starkbierzeit focuses on strong beers traditionally consumed during Lent.
More about Starkbierzeit…
For Munich hotels see Here.

Frühlingsfest 2013 – Munich Spring Festival
April 19 – May 5, 2013:  Munich Frühlingfest ends the spring Strong Beer Season. The fair is supposed to be a scaled-down version of Oktoberfest.  This year the fair will be held in Theresienwiese – Oktoberfest grounds.
Website: www.muenchnervolksfeste.de

Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest 2013 – Stuttgart Spring Festival – Stuttgart
April 20 – May 12, 2013 – Stuttgart Spring Festival in Cannstatter Wasen celebrates the end of the winter season.  The festival features beer tents, oompah bands, funfair, fireworks and lots of parties at night.  This is the 75th anniversary of Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest and some  some 240 performers, farmers and market merchants will provide a great atmosphere.
Website:  www.stuttgarter-fruehlingsfest.de/

Mosel Wine Festivals 2013
From April 26 – September 23, 2013: From early spring through fall, the towns along the Mosel hold “Weinfeste” (wine festivals). Local foods and wines are served and a general party atmosphere prevails. The Mosel Valley is full of vineyards that rise up the hills from the river banks. There is likely to be a wine festival in one town or another every weekend in the Mosel region.
Website: www.traben-trarbach.de/

Mendiger-Gambrinusfest 2013 – Mendig
May 9 – 12, 2013:  Gambrinusfest takes place every 2 years and is the biggest beer festival in Rhineland-Palatinate. Don’t miss this as you’ll have to wait two years for the next event.
Website: www.mendiger-gambrinusfest.de/

Bergkirchweih Erlanger 2013
May 16 – May 27, 2013: This annual beer festival is a 250 year-old tradition and is celebrated around Pentecost for 12 days. More than 1 million visitors each year come to enjoy Erlangen beer and Franconian dishes.  The Bergkirchweih is open from 10:00 to 23:00 daily and you can then roll on to the pubs in downtown Erlangen.  Erlangen’s claim to fame is that they were the first to export beer, even before Munich and Kulmbach.
Website: www.der-berg-ruft.de

‘Assmannshausen in Red‘ – Assmannshausen Red Wine Festival 2013
June 22, 2013 – Assmannshausen is famous for its Pinot Noir.  On this one-day festival wine connoisseurs get to enjoy the Assmannshäuser red wine as well as local dishes and entertainment.

International Bierbörse 2013
May 3 – September 15, 2013:  This looks like a good excuse to drink beer non-stop for 3 months!  Bierbörse is an chain of annual beer festivals which are held in 11 German cities.  You can sample up to 1,000 different types of beer, including those from 75 countries.  What’s more, this is a free event and you only pay for the beer.  Bierbörse 2013 can be found in Bonn, Dorsten, Dusssldorf, Frechen, Hamm, Huckeswagen, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Leverkusen-Opladen, Mainz, Osterode, Pforzheim, Rendsburg, Schwerin and Viersen.
Website:  www.bierboerse.com

Stuttgarter Weindorf – Stuttgart Wine Festival 2013 – Hamburg
June 27 – July 14, 2013 (tbc):  Traditionally held just prior to the big Stuttgarter Weindorf in Stuttgart, this year the Stuttgart Wineries are bringing their wares to Hamburg much earlier. Running for 2 weeks from June 27, the Hamburg wine village is traditionally set up at the Hamburg Town Hall Market, complete with wine and beer gardens, regional Stuttgart fare and arts and crafts from the Stuttgart region.
Website: www.stuttgarter-weindorf.de/

Annafest Forchheim 2013
July 20 – 29, 2013:  Forchheim Annafest (Festival of St. Anna) is an annual fair which has been celebrated since 1840.  Forcheim is on the “cellar-hill” close to Bamberg and Nuremberg and each year up to 500,000 visitors descend upon its beer gardens (over 20 beer gardens and no tents here).
Website:  www.forchheim-annafest.de

Kulmbacher Bierwoche 2013
July 27 – August 4, 2013 (tbc):  Kulmbacher is a traditional beer festival in the north of Bavaria.  Just for one week in the year, master brewers of Kulmbacher brew their secret formula beer.
Website:  www.kulmbacher.de/de/bierwoche

Berlin Beer Festival 2013 – Berlin
August 2 – 4, 2013: Usually held on the first weekend of August annually, this festival boasts the longest beer garden in the world – one mile long! One million people come to this festival each year. Stalls offer 2,000 types of beer from over 300 breweries from 86 countries with a focus on smaller, private breweries. However long it might take to sample 2,000 varieties of beer, the Berlin Beer Festival sounds like a great way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. Live music and shows also keep the crowd entertained.
Website: www.bierfestival-berlin.de

Rotweinfest 2013 – Oberwesel am Rhein – Rhine River Red Wine Festival
August 3, 2013 – A very popular one-day Middle Rhine red wine festival in the market square of Oberwesel.

Gäubodenvolksfest 2013 – Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing
August 9 – 19, 2013 (tbc): Founded by King Max I in 1812, Gäubodenvolksfest is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. This festival started as an agricultural event, but these days it is said to be the second largest genuine folk festival in Bavaria. Held annually in mid-August, it lasts for 11 days. Its six beer tents accommodate 25,000 visitors.
Website: www.ausstellungsgmbh.de/

Ruedesheimer-Weinfest 2013 – Rüdesheim Wine Festival 2013
August 16 – 19, 2013: Always charming and picturesque, the small Rhine wine village of Rüdesheim hosts a Wine Festival that features the wineries of the region as well as food. The festival takes place on the main street and you can enjoy the beautiful views to the Rhine and the vineyards above as you sip your wine. If you feel intimidated about going into the small wine tasting rooms, this is a perfect way to get to know Rüdesheim and its wines.
Website:  www.ruedesheimer-weinfest.de

Stuttgarter Weindorf 2013 – 37th Stuttgart Wine Village – Stuttgart
August 28 – September 8, 2013:  The Stuttgart Wine Village is one of the largest and most beautiful wine festivals in Germany. From the end of August to the beginning of September, the Stuttgart city center is transformed into a festive wine village. 120 wine alcoves with traditional decor offer up over 250 wines from the region, including Trollinger, Riesling, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Schwarzriesling, Ruländer, Schillerwein, Lemberger and Weißherbst. With so much wine flowing, the atmosphere is bound to be jolly. Great music and food complement the warm and friendly atmosphere.
Website: www.stuttgarter-weindorf.de/

Aachen Wine Festival 2013
August 22 – 25, 2013: Located in North Rhine Westphalia, Aachen is an attractive Roman spa town, famous for its therapeutic waters, hot springs and 1000-year-old remains. This lovely town hosts a summer wine festival in the town center each year with over 400 wines on offer from 20 or more wineries in Rhineland Palatine. Featured wines include Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Kerner, Dornfelder and Spaetburgunder. Good food and wine, music and a generally great atmosphere make this Wine Festival a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
Website:  www.aachen.de

Mainzer Weinmarkt – Mainz Wine Festival 2013
August 22 – 25, 2013 and August 30 – September 2, 2013:  The Mainz Wine Market (Mainzer Weinmarkt) plays host to over half a million visitors each year. You’ll enjoy wandering through the parks and rose gardens of the town as you go about tasting wines, eating the local fare and checking out the arts and crafts stalls. There is plenty of music to suit every taste and the city is known to be particularly beautiful at this time of year.
Website:  www.mainzer-weinmarkt.de/

Weinfest der Mittelmosel 2013 – Bernkastel-Kues
From August 19 – September 2, 2013:  Bernkastel-Kues Middle Mosel Wine Festival is  the largest and most well-known of the Mosel wine festivals.  Visitors will enjoy the brilliant fireworks display from Landshut Castle and the colourful  winemaker’s procession and the crowning of the Wine Queen.
Website:  www.bernkastel.de

Frankfurt Rheingau Wine Festival 2013
August 28 – Sep 6, 2013: The Rheingau Wine Festival (Rheingauer Weinmarkt) is Frankfurt’s only wine festival with vintners from the Rheingau offering over 600 types of wines in Fressgasse, one of Frankfurt’s charming restaurant and fine food areas. Rieslings are the specialty wines here, reflecting the unique terroir of the Rheingau wine region.
Location of festival is “Freßgass´”, Große Bockenheimer Straße / Opernplatz.
Open Times: Daily from 11:00 – 23:00
Frankfurt Hotels in the Old Town Centre (Zentrum-Alstadt)
All Frankfurt am Main Hotels
Website:  www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

Oktoberfest 2013 – Munich
September 21 – October 5,  2013: Oktoberfest gets bigger and better each year.  With 14 huge tents (maybe more) to choose from, how do you decide? You’ll need to check the website of each of the tents to see which ones you fancy.
Here’s some traditional Oktoberfest beer tents. >
See our Oktoberfest photos >
Website:  www.oktoberfest.de

Oktoberfest Hannover 2013
September 27 – October 13, 2013 (tbc): The Oktoberfest Hannover claims to be the second-largest ‘Oktoberfest‘ in the world, after Munich. More than a million visitors attend this 16-day event and its two large beer tents seat more than a thousand drinkers.
Website: www.oktoberfest-hannover.de/

Stuttgart Beer Festival  2013 – Canstatter Volkfest – Stuttgart
Sep 27 – Oct 13, 2013:  This Stuttgart Beer Festival is second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich in terms of size. It began in 1818 as a harvest festival following a famine and has since been taking  place at the end of September every year.  These days, it provides two weeks of fun with oompah bands in traditional costume, lots of beer inside the marquees and entertainment
Website:  www.cannstatter-volksfest.de
A visit to Germany is not complete without going to a Wine or a Beer Festival. There is plenty on offer so it’s necessary to plan well in order to get maximum coverage.

Did you find the wine and beer festival you were looking for?  Please leave me a comment.  If there are any other festivals you would like to see on this list, please also let me know.

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