Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around May. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Bierfest Lübeck is a three-day beer festival on the Markt in Lübeck's UNESCO-listed Old Town, from 8–10 May 2026. Entry is free (0 €), with more than 100 beer styles from regional and international breweries and street food on site.
Free-entry beer festival on Lübeck’s Markt with 100+ beers in the UNESCO Old Town (8–10 May 2026).
Bierfest Lübeck 2026 runs 8–10 May on the Markt in Lübeck's Altstadt. The programme highlights over 100 beer styles from regional and international breweries, plus street food. Entry is free (0 €); no ticket is needed. Opening hours: Friday 17:00–00:00, Saturday 14:00–00:00, Sunday 12:00–23:00.
The full story
Bierfest Lübeck turns the historic Markt square in Lübeck's UNESCO World Heritage Altstadt into a three-day, free-admission craft-beer festival each May. The 2026 edition runs Friday 8 through Sunday 10 May, with hours Friday 17:00–00:00, Saturday 14:00–00:00 (the festival's fullest window), and Sunday 12:00–23:00 for a more family-oriented close. The 2026 lineup catalogs 47 named beers from 21 breweries and stands across 8 countries, with well over 100 styles once rotating and multi-tap pours are counted — street food and live music round out the programme, and the event is family-friendly, with alcohol-free options on offer.
This is one stop on "Bierfeste Deutschland," a touring beer-festival brand run by GiG Linden GmbH across roughly 15 German cities each season — a materially different footprint from a purely local institution, and part of why the format (hours, free-entry policy, food-and-music structure) feels consistent and professionally run. The national brand traces to 2013, but that's the touring brand's own founding, not this Lübeck stop's: the Markt-square edition itself has run in its current format for at least four consecutive years (2023–2026). This stop's own founding year is unstated.
One distinction worth keeping straight: Lübeck hosts at least two other, unrelated beer events under similar-sounding names — the indoor, autumn "Craft Beer Fest Lübeck" at Kulturwerft Gollan, and the Koberg-square "Lübecker Altstadt-Bierfest." This is the spring Markt-square edition, set against the backdrop of Lübeck's Rathaus and Altstadt facades rather than a fairground or industrial venue. See Bierfest Lübeck page or explore Beyond Bavaria.
History
Bierfest Lübeck's Markt-square edition is one stop on 'Bierfeste Deutschland,' a touring beer-festival brand run by GiG Linden GmbH across roughly 15 German cities each season; the national brand traces to 2013 (organizer Michael Solms), but that's the brand's own founding, not this city stop's. The Lübeck edition itself has run in this Markt/Kohlmarkt format for at least four consecutive years (2023–2026); no confident single founding year is asserted for the Lübeck stop specifically, since a single local-portal claim of a 2023 'first time' is complicated by an earlier, differently branded and differently located Lübeck beer event.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Three days on the Markt in Lübeck's UNESCO-listed Old Town, with free entry and more than 100 beer styles from regional and international breweries.
- What to try
- With over 100 styles poured, sample widely rather than sticking to one brewery's stand.
- Food pairing
- Street food set up on site alongside the beer stands.
- Best for
- Beer travelers who want variety over volume — this is a tasting fest, not a Maß-and-tent affair.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- Free entry and more than 100 styles in a UNESCO Old Town square make this one of the more approachable beer fests on the calendar.
Practical tips
The English-language details German fest pages usually skip.
- Kids / family
- Family-friendly, with children welcome and alcohol-free options available.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Bierfest Lübeck 2026?
- Friday 8 May through Sunday 10 May 2026. Hours run Fri 17:00–00:00, Sat 14:00–00:00, Sun 12:00–23:00.
- Where does it take place?
- On the Markt, 23552 Lübeck, in the historic city centre.
- Is entry free?
- Yes — entry is free (0 €), and no ticket is required.
- Is it family-friendly?
- The organiser describes the fest as family-friendly, with children welcome and alcohol-free options available.
- Is this the same as Lübeck's other beer festivals?
- No. Lübeck hosts at least two other, separately branded beer events: the indoor, autumn 'Craft Beer Fest Lübeck' at Kulturwerft Gollan, and the Koberg-square 'Lübecker Altstadt-Bierfest.' This event is the spring Markt-square edition, part of the touring 'Bierfeste Deutschland' series.
- Family-friendly
- Free entry
- Scenic setting