Quick answer
The Landshuter Hochzeit 1475 reenacts the 1475 wedding of Duke George the Rich and Polish princess Hedwig Jagiellon in Landshut's old town, staged only once every four years. The 2027 run — the 43rd staging — runs June 25 through July 18, 2027, across four festival weekends, with the free public wedding procession held on the four Festsonntage. Roughly 2,500 costumed local residents perform; visitors are expected to dress normally, since visitor-worn costumes are actually barred from the festival grounds to preserve historical authenticity. The event holds a 2018 German national intangible-heritage listing, not UNESCO World Heritage status. Public ticket sales for 2027 (roughly €20–105 depending on event) open online January 9, 2027 at 09:00.
- Best for
- History and pageantry travelers who want a genuinely rare, once-every-four-years cultural spectacle rather than a beer-tent atmosphere — photographers, living-history enthusiasts, and anyone building a 2027 Bavaria trip specifically around this event. Less suited to visitors expecting a costumed medieval market they can join in costume, or to last-minute travelers, since both tickets and Landshut lodging require months of advance planning.
- Booking urgency
- Real, time-sensitive availability, not a discount push — association members get first ticket access in October 2026, and general public sales open online January 9, 2027 at 09:00, with prices ranging roughly €20–105 depending on event and seat class. Grandstand seats and Landshut hotel rooms have historically sold out well ahead of festival weekends, so book both as soon as the 2027 sale window opens rather than waiting for a specific weekend to fill up first.
Landshut's own citizens — not professional performers — reenact a royal 1475 wedding across four summer weekends; organizers describe it as presumably (vermutlich) Europe's largest historical costume festival.
Some 2,500 costumed Landshut residents recreate the wedding of Duke George the Rich and Polish princess Hedwig Jagiellon, with jousting tournaments, a courtly festival play, period dances and medieval taverns filling the old town. Performed only every four years, the 2027 run is the 43rd staging. 2027 also marks the 125th anniversary of Die Förderer e.V., the citizens' association that has organized the reenactment since founding it in 1902 — not 125 years of continuous performance.
The full story
Once every four years, Landshut's old town stops being a quiet Lower Bavarian city and becomes the stage for one of Germany's largest historical reenactments. The Landshuter Hochzeit 1475 restages the wedding of Duke George the Rich of Bavaria-Landshut and Polish princess Hedwig Jagiellon, performed not by professional actors but by roughly 2,500 of Landshut's own residents. The 2027 run, June 25 through July 18, is the 43rd staging — a milestone worth separating from another number attached to this cycle: 2027 also marks the 125th anniversary of Die Förderer e.V., the citizens' association that has organized the reenactment since founding it in 1902. The performance tradition itself began in 1903, and while today's rhythm feels like clockwork, it wasn't always four-year: the event ran annually through the 1910s and 1930s, then every three years after WWII, before settling into its current four-year cycle only from 1981 onward.
What distinguishes the Landshuter Hochzeit from a typical medieval market is its discipline around authenticity. Organizers describe it as a "Dokumentarspiel" — a documentary-style play, not a costumed fair — and that discipline extends to the audience: visitors wearing their own Tracht or costume are barred from the Zehrplatz festival grounds, precisely so the reenactment's own performers remain visually distinct. Ordinary clothing is not just permitted but expected. The event's cultural standing is real but specific: it was inscribed in 2018 into Germany's national Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a national-level recognition, not the full UNESCO World Heritage status the association continues to pursue. Its other headline claim — that it's Europe's largest historical costume festival — comes from the organizer's own site, which hedges it as "vermutlich," presumably, rather than stating it as a settled ranking.
For visitors, the free Sunday wedding procession through the Altstadt is the one guaranteed no-cost highlight; the jousting tournament, festival play, dance play, concerts, and tavern evenings all require tickets, priced roughly €20–105 depending on the event. Association members get first access to 2027 tickets in October 2026, with general public sales opening online January 9, 2027 at 09:00 — both grandstand seats and Landshut hotel rooms have sold out well ahead of festival weekends in past cycles, so booking early matters more here than at almost any other Bavaria On Tap event. Two Landshut breweries, C. Wittmann and the 1493-founded Landshuter Brauhaus, supply the festival, with Landshuter Brauhaus brewing a dedicated "Landshuter Hochzeits Bier" and "Hochzeits Weisse" — a legitimate local-beer tie-in even though this is a history-and-pageantry event first, not a beer festival. Explore Lower Bavaria events for more festivals in the region.
History
First performed in 1903, the reenactment ran annually in its early decades, then every three years after WWII, and only settled into today's four-year cycle from 1981 onward — not a four-year rhythm running back to 1903. Recent editions were staged in 2017 and 2023 (the 2021 edition shifted to 2023 due to COVID-19). It was inscribed in 2018 into Germany's national Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage — a national listing, not UNESCO World Heritage status, which the organizing association is still pursuing but has not achieved.
Eat & Drink Nearby
- Local specialty
- Medieval tavern fare in Landshut's old town — the festival's own period food stalls and Gasthäuser serve historical plates during the four-weekend run.
- Pair it with
- Landshut city breweries and riverside beer gardens between jousting days — ordinary clothing is expected and fine both in town and on the festival grounds. Visitors wearing their own Tracht or costume are actually barred from the Zehrplatz festival grounds, since only the reenactment's own performers wear 1475-accurate dress.
- Itinerary fit
- Pick one weekend of the 2027 staging, book Landshut lodging months ahead, and plan sit-down meals between tournament and pageant slots.
Frequently asked questions
- How often is the Landshuter Hochzeit staged, and why is 2027 special?
- Only once every four years. The 2027 run, June 25–July 18, is the 43rd staging — a genuinely rare event compared to Bavaria's annual festivals.
- Does the 2027 event mark 125 years of the festival itself?
- No. The 125-year figure refers to the 125th anniversary of Die Förderer e.V., the citizens' association that has organized the reenactment since founding it in 1902. The performance tradition began in 1903 (124 years by 2027) and only settled into a steady four-year cycle from 1981 onward.
- Do visitors need to wear Tracht or a costume to attend?
- No — the opposite is true. Only the roughly 2,500 performers wear historically accurate 1475 dress, and visitors wearing their own Tracht or costume are actually barred from the Zehrplatz festival grounds to preserve that authenticity. Ordinary clothing is expected and welcome.
- Is the Landshuter Hochzeit a UNESCO World Heritage event?
- No. It was inscribed in 2018 into Germany's national Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a national-level listing. Full UNESCO World Heritage status is a goal the organizing association is still pursuing, not something it currently holds.
- Is it really Europe's largest historical costume festival?
- That's the organizer's own description — the event calls itself "vermutlich" (presumably) Europe's largest and most elaborate historical costume festival, a hedge regional press repeats with varying certainty rather than an independently audited ranking.
- When can I buy 2027 tickets, and what do they cost?
- Association members get first access in October 2026; general public sales open online January 9, 2027 at 09:00. Prices for the 2027 program run roughly €20–105 depending on the event and seat class.
- Is any part of the festival free to attend?
- Yes — the Sunday wedding procession through Landshut's old town is free to watch from the street. The jousting tournament, festival play, dance play, concerts, and tavern evenings all require a paid ticket.