Future dates
- 2027Aug 13–23, 2027
Quick answer
Gäubodenvolksfest is Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest, held on the Festplatz Am Hagen in Straubing alongside the adjoining Ostbayernschau agricultural show. The next edition runs August 13–23, 2027. Seven Festzelte, poured exclusively by five local Straubing-area breweries, anchor the event. Both the festival grounds and the Ostbayernschau are free to enter, with no ticket required. The 2026 edition drew roughly 1.25 million festival visitors and about 380,000 to the Ostbayernschau.
- Best for
- Travelers who've done Oktoberfest and want the same Festzelt energy — Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest — without Munich's crowds, pricing, or reservation pressure. A strong fit for anyone building a Danube or Lower Bavaria itinerary around Straubing, and for beer travelers who want a strictly local pour: five Straubing-area breweries fill all seven tents, with no national or multinational brands involved. Less suited to visitors who want an internationally-oriented crowd or English-language signage — this is a genuinely regional festival with a largely German-speaking audience.
- Booking urgency
- Grounds and Ostbayernschau entry are free and ticketless, so no advance booking is needed just to attend. The only real planning point is Festzelt seating: table reservations for the seven tents are handled directly by each Festwirt (tent operator), and prime weekend slots can fill before the festival opens, so groups wanting a guaranteed table should reach out to the tent operators well ahead of the August dates. Walk-up seating is generally available on weekdays and outside peak evening hours.
Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest in Straubing — seven free-entry Festzelte plus the adjoining Ostbayernschau, 13–23 August 2027.
Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest after Oktoberfest, and one that barely registers on the international radar. Seven Festzelte, poured exclusively by five local Straubing-area breweries — no national or multinational brands — anchor the event alongside the adjoining Ostbayernschau agricultural and trade show. Both the festival grounds and the Ostbayernschau are free to enter, with no ticket required for either. The 2026 edition ran as scheduled 7–17 August and drew roughly 1.25 million festival visitors and about 380,000 to the Ostbayernschau; the next edition runs 13–23 August 2027.
The full story
Each August, the Festplatz Am Hagen in Straubing fills with seven Festzelte and the crowds that make Gäubodenvolksfest Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest, trailing only Munich's Oktoberfest. The next edition runs August 13–23, 2027. Unlike Oktoberfest, where large multinational brewers dominate, every drop poured here comes from five breweries rooted in Straubing and the surrounding Landkreis — Karmeliten, Arcobräu, Erl-Bräu, the Irlbacher/Schlossbrauerei Irlbach, and Röhrl — spread across the seven tents. The adjoining Ostbayernschau, a large regional trade and agricultural show, runs alongside it on the same grounds. Both the festival grounds and the Ostbayernschau are free to enter, with no ticket required for either — only individual Festzelt table reservations, plus food and drink once inside, cost money.
The festival's roots go back further than most Bavarian Volksfeste. In 1812, King Maximilian I Joseph decreed a regional agricultural fair for the Unterdonaukreis, and the first one was staged in Straubing on 11–12 October 1812, built around livestock shows, farming demonstrations, and a horse race. For years afterward the fair rotated between Straubing, Passau, and later Landshut, before Straubing began organizing it independently. The event took its current name, Gäubodenvolksfest, only in 1938, referencing the fertile Gäuboden plain south of the Danube on which Straubing sits — and it became a true annual fixture, rather than running every few years, only from 1961/62.
The 2026 edition ran as scheduled from 7–17 August, drawing roughly 1.25 million visitors to the festival grounds and about 380,000 to the Ostbayernschau, and closed peacefully despite record heat and rail disruption during the run. The crowd stays overwhelmingly regional — this is a local festival more than an international one, with far less English signage and far fewer foreign visitors than Oktoberfest. That, combined with beer priced consistently below Munich's Wiesn, makes it a natural pick for travelers who've already done Oktoberfest and want the same tent energy with a smaller, more local crowd, or for anyone routing through Straubing on a Danube or Lower Bavaria itinerary. See Gäubodenvolksfest or explore Lower Bavaria.
History
Founded in 1812, when King Maximilian I Joseph decreed a regional agricultural fair for the Unterdonaukreis; the first fair was held in Straubing on 11–12 October 1812, with livestock shows, farming demonstrations, and a horse race. The event rotated between Straubing, Passau, and later Landshut for years before Straubing began organizing it independently. It took its current name, Gäubodenvolksfest, in 1938, and became a true annual fixture — rather than running every few years — only from 1961/62.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Straubing's local breweries across seven Festzelte plus the adjacent Ostbayernschau agricultural show.
- What to try
- Festbier from the Straubing tents; pair with whatever the Ostbayernschau food alley is serving that week.
- Food pairing
- A Maß with a plate from the show grounds — beer hall inside, farm-fresh snacks outside.
- Best for
- Oktoberfest alumni who want Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest without the Munich tourist markup.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- This is the insider Lower Bavarian answer to the Wiesn — same tent energy, fraction of the foreign crowd.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Gäubodenvolksfest in 2027?
- August 13–23, 2027, at the Festplatz Am Hagen in Straubing. Grounds typically open around 16:00 on opening day, then run daily from about 11:30 to 00:30 for the rest of the festival.
- Where exactly is it held?
- On the Festplatz Am Hagen (Am Hagen 75, 94315 Straubing) — not "Dultplatz," a name that doesn't appear on any official festival material.
- Is entry free?
- Yes. Both the festival grounds and the adjoining Ostbayernschau are free to enter every year, with no ticket required for either. Only Festzelt table reservations, and food and drink once inside, cost money.
- Is Gäubodenvolksfest really Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest?
- Yes — after Munich's Oktoberfest, it's consistently ranked Bavaria's second-largest Volksfest, drawing well over a million visitors most years.
- How old is the festival?
- It traces to 1812, when King Maximilian I Joseph decreed a regional agricultural fair for the Unterdonaukreis; the first fair ran in Straubing on 11–12 October 1812. It took its current name, Gäubodenvolksfest, in 1938, and has run every year, rather than every few years, only since 1961/62.
- What's poured in the Festzelte?
- Festbier from five local Straubing-area breweries — Karmeliten, Arcobräu, Erl-Bräu, the Irlbacher/Schlossbrauerei Irlbach, and Röhrl — across the festival's seven tents. No national or multinational brewer pours here.
- How did the 2026 edition go?
- Well — despite record heat and rail disruption during the run, the 2026 edition drew roughly 1.25 million festival visitors and about 380,000 to the Ostbayernschau, and closed peacefully.
- Free entry
- Indoor / rain-friendly