The Erlangen Bergkirchweih is Germany's oldest beer festival – older than Oktoberfest by 55 years. It has been held every year since 1755, not on a fairground in a city of millions, but on a hillside in a university town of 110,000 people in the Franconian region of Bavaria. A million visitors come every twelve days. Under old chestnut trees, with stone mugs of beer and live music from twelve open-air cellars, it is one of the most atmospheric festivals in Europe – and most people outside Germany have never heard of it.
This guide covers everything you need to know to visit the Bergkirchweih 2026, which runs from 21 May to 1 June 2026.
What is the Bergkirchweih?
The name means „hill church fair" – it began in 1755 as a Whitsun market moved from the old town of Erlangen to the northern hillside of the Burgberg. What made the location special: the hill was hollowed out with brewery cellars, tunnels carved into the rock where beer had been kept cool since the 17th century. The brewers began tapping barrels directly at the cellar entrances. Visitors came for the beer, the atmosphere and eventually the funfair. Two hundred and seventy years later, the formula is unchanged.
In March 2026, the Bergkirchweih was officially recognised as part of the Bavarian Intangible Cultural Heritage register – a designation that confirms what anyone who has attended already knows: this is not just a festival. It is a tradition.
Key facts at a glance
Dates 2026: Thursday 21 May – Monday 1 June 2026
Opening hours: Daily from 10:00 am, last orders 10:30 pm, closing 11:00 pm
Sunday & public holidays: Open from 9:30 am (morning session)
Entrance: Free
Beer price: approx. 14 euros per Maß (1 litre), plus 5 euro mug deposit (refundable)
Number of beer cellars: 15
Total seating: 11,000 permanent seats
Location: An den Kellern, Burgberg, 91054 Erlangen
The opening ceremony: the Anstich
The festival opens on the first Thursday at exactly 17:00, when the Mayor of Erlangen taps the first barrel of beer at one of the cellars – a different cellar each year. This ceremony is called the Anstich. The first barrel is traditionally served as free beer to the crowd. In 2026 the opening is at 17:00 on Thursday 21 May at the Henninger Keller.
The opening day is one of the busiest of the entire festival. If you want to experience the Anstich, arrive early and expect a crowd.
The beer cellars
The heart of the Bergkirchweih is its fifteen beer cellars, strung along the hillside for about one kilometre. Each is an independent operation with its own beer, its own band, its own character. Some are enormous open-air biergartens seating hundreds; others are more intimate. All are under old trees – chestnut, linden and oak – decorated with paper lanterns.
A few cellars worth knowing:
Goldmann Keller – consistently the cheapest beer on the entire grounds. Always six beers on tap, including a Rauchbier (smoked beer) exclusive to this cellar – an award-winning speciality you cannot get anywhere else at the festival. Good choice if you want to avoid the most crowded spots.
Birkners Keller – known for high-energy bands, a central stage and a party atmosphere. If you want to dance and sing along, this is your cellar.
Entla's Keller – the oldest cellar, founded 1797, and the only one open year-round outside the festival season. Reliable, spacious, with its own Entla's Bräu beer.
Altstädter Schießhaus – the only fully covered option, which makes it the place to head if it rains.
At the T-junction (known locally as „das T") where the main path meets the cellar row, you make your choice: left for the beer cellars, right for the funfair and food stalls. Most visitors eventually do both.
The funfair
Around twenty rides and attractions share the grounds with the cellars. The centrepiece is the Eyecatcher, a brand-new 55-metre Ferris wheel making its Erlangen debut in 2026 – replacing the legendary Europarad that stood here from 1992 until 2025. From the top you get the best view of the entire festival grounds and the Erlangen skyline. A ride costs approximately 8–10 euros.
There are also rollercoasters, ghost trains, dodgems, carousels for children and shooting galleries. On Family Day (Thursday 28 May 2026), all rides cost half price.
Food and drink
Beyond beer, the festival offers the full range of Franconian classics: Schäuferla (slow-roasted pork shoulder), Bratwurst im Weggla (Franconian bratwurst in a roll), pretzels, roasted almonds and a great deal of candyfloss. Expect to pay 4–6 euros for a sausage, 14–18 euros for a full Schäuferla.
Non-alcoholic drinks are available at all cellars and are priced below 5 euros – notably cheaper than at comparable festivals.
You are allowed to bring your own food. Many locals arrive with a full Brotzeit – cheese, cold cuts, bread, pickles – packed in a basket. Bring it in a soft bag (no glass bottles, no large rucksacks). This is not just tolerated; it is a Bergkirchweih tradition.
What to wear
There is no dress code. The Bergkirchweih is a Franconian festival, not a Bavarian one, and Dirndl and Lederhosen have no historical roots here. Most Erlangen locals wear jeans, a t-shirt and a light jacket for the evening. Plenty of visitors do wear traditional costume, and that is perfectly fine too – but nobody will look at you strangely for wearing ordinary clothes.
The one non-negotiable: wear solid, closed shoes. The grounds are uneven, the paths get wet and there is always broken glass somewhere. Open sandals and high heels are a bad idea, every year.
What to expect from the atmosphere
Daytime on the Bergkirchweih – especially on weekdays – is relaxed, family-friendly and genuinely gemütlich. Groups sit at long wooden tables under the trees, sharing food and beer. Children run between the rides. Music drifts between cellars. It feels ancient and unhurried in a way that large city festivals rarely do.
Evening, especially on weekends, is louder. The cellar bands play harder, the benches fill up, and the whole hillside hums. By 10 pm, the path between the cellars is packed. This is the Bergkirchweih at its most electric.
After 11 pm, when the cellars close, the crowd moves down into the city for the After-Berg – bars, clubs and street gatherings in the northern old town of Erlangen, which stays lively until 3 am (the E-Werk club until 5 am).
How to get there
From Nuremberg: S-Bahn (S1 or S2) from Nuremberg central station to Erlangen, every 20 minutes, journey time approx. 20 minutes. From Erlangen station, 20–30 minutes on foot following signs for Bergkirchweih, or take the free shuttle bus from Hugenottenplatz (runs until 5 pm, after that buses stop at Leo-Hauck-Strasse on the east side of the grounds).
From Munich: Train from Munich central station to Nuremberg (approx. 1 hour by ICE), then S-Bahn to Erlangen as above. A day trip from Munich is entirely feasible.
From Frankfurt: ICE to Nuremberg (approx. 1h 45 min), then S-Bahn to Erlangen. Also doable as a day trip.
By car: Park at the Großparkplatz near Erlangen station and walk or take the shuttle. On busy evenings, the streets around the festival are closed to traffic from 5 pm. Do not drive into the northern old town on weekends.
Where to stay
Erlangen has a limited hotel supply for a festival this size. Hotels on the direct route from the city to the Burgberg – particularly the Best Western Hotel Erlangen (formerly Quality Hotel) on Bayreuther Strasse 53 – book out months in advance for the Whitsun weekend. If you are planning to attend over Whitsun (22–25 May), book no later than February.
Alternatively, staying in Nuremberg and commuting by S-Bahn is a practical and often cheaper solution. Night trains run hourly at weekends.
Practical tips
Buy Biermarken in advance. Pre-purchased beer tokens (Biermarken) are 50 cents to 1 euro cheaper per Maß than paying cash at the cellar. Available from the individual cellar websites.
Reserve a table if you are a group. Most popular cellars offer reservations online. For weekends and the Whitsun period, reserve at least 6 weeks ahead.
No glass bottles, no brought-in alcohol. Both are prohibited and checked at the entrances. Still and sparkling water in plastic bottles is fine.
No dogs (except assistance dogs). No bicycles or e-scooters on the grounds.
The Bergbarometer on the official festival website shows real-time crowd levels using a traffic-light system. Check it before you leave your accommodation on busy evenings.
The last day (Monday 1 June 2026) ends with the Bierbegräbnis – the ceremonial burial of the last barrel of beer to the sound of Lili Marleen, with the crowd waving white handkerchiefs. It is one of the most unexpectedly moving things you will see at a beer festival. Do not miss it if you can help it.
