Future dates
- 2027May 13–24, 2027
Quick answer
Bergkirchweih is a beer fest in Erlangen, Bavaria. The next edition runs May 13–24, 2027. Twelve days on a forested hill — Franconia's biggest beer festival, and arguably its best kept secret.
- Booking urgency
- Leave the car behind if possible — streets around the Burgberg close to parking and through traffic during the run, and paid parking (~€8/day) near the main station is limited. Reinforced tram, S-Bahn, and shuttle service run from Erlangen Hauptbahnhof instead.
Erlangen's iconic beer festival carved into the sandstone cliffs above the town — 12 days of local brews, traditional Franconian food, and open-air beer cellars.
The Erlanger Bergkirchweih is Franconia's answer to a traditional beer festival. Held in the sandstone cellars carved into the mountainside above Erlangen, the festival features local Franconian breweries, traditional food stalls, and a unique atmosphere unlike any other Bavarian Volksfest. Free entry to the festival grounds and beer gardens.
The full story
The Erlanger Bergkirchweih is a twelve-day open-air beer festival unlike any other in this dataset: instead of tents on flat ground, it runs along roughly a kilometer of historic sandstone cellars carved into the Burgberg hillside above Erlangen, each individually operated by a different brewery or publican family. The 2026 edition, the 271st, runs Thursday 21 May through Monday 1 June, opening the Thursday before Pentecost. Its founding is unusually precise: a specific Erlangen city-council decision on 21 April 1755 relocated the annual Pentecost market and the town's marksmen's shooting festival to the Burgberg, merging both with the existing parish Kirchweih — and the arithmetic checks out exactly, 271 editions in 271 years, with no unexplained gap.
Roughly 15 to 17 cellars operate each year, supplied by breweries including Tucher, Kitzmann, Steinbach, Kundmüller, and Mönchshof — meaning the beer varies meaningfully cellar to cellar rather than being uniform across the festival. The mayor performs a ceremonial keg-tapping at a different cellar each year to open the run (2026: Henninger Keller), and the festival closes with a ceremonial burial of the last barrel near midnight on the final Monday. Grounds admission is free; only beer, food, and rides are paid. In spring 2026, the Bergkirchweih was formally added to the Bavarian Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing its unbroken 271-year run.
Also new for 2026: the festival's first-ever public vote for a "Bergkönigin" (Berg Queen), won by 21-year-old Leonie Ott, who represents the festival starting with the 2027 edition — a brand-new tradition, not a historic one. One practical note worth knowing before visiting: leave the car behind if possible. Streets around the Burgberg close to parking and through traffic during the run, and paid parking near the main station is limited — reinforced tram, S-Bahn, and shuttle service from Erlangen Hauptbahnhof is the better way in. See Bergkirchweih page or explore Middle Franconia.
History
Since 1755, originally a Pentecost church fair. The cellars dug into the Burgberg had been used to store beer for centuries — people came to drink where it was coldest. In 2026, the Bergkirchweih was added to the Bayerische Landesverzeichnis des immateriellen Kulturerbes (Bavarian Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage), recognizing its 271 years of continuous tradition as the oldest beer festival in the world — predating Oktoberfest by 55 years.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Franconian Kellerbier from breweries pouring in the sandstone cellars above Erlangen.
- What to try
- Unfiltered Kellerbier by the Maß in the carved hillside beer gardens — the Bergkirchweih's signature pour.
- Food pairing
- Grilled Bratwurst or Schäufele from the cellar food stalls.
- Best for
- Franconia-first itineraries — a beer fest that feels like a hillside pub crawl, not a fairground.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- Free entry and a unique cellar atmosphere make this the Franconian fest most visitors skip by accident.
Practical tips
The English-language details German fest pages usually skip.
- Nearest station
- Erlangen Hbf, then bus toward Berg or walk uphill ~20–30 min
- From Munich
- ~1.5h by train to Erlangen (via Nuremberg).
- Cash vs card
- Mix of cash and card; cash still handy at smaller stands.
- Reservations
- Beer-garden style seating — arrive early on peak evenings.
- Kids / family
- Daytime is family-friendly; evenings more adult.
- What to wear
- Casual or light Tracht. The hill is steep — wear good shoes.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Bergkirchweih in 2027?
- Bergkirchweih in 2027 runs May 13–24, 2027. It takes place at Burgberg.
- Is Bergkirchweih free to attend?
- Entry to Bergkirchweih is free.
- What is the history of Bergkirchweih?
- Since 1755, originally a Pentecost church fair. The cellars dug into the Burgberg had been used to store beer for centuries — people came to drink where it was coldest.
- Where is Bergkirchweih located?
- Bergkirchweih takes place at Burgberg in Erlangen, Mittelfranken, Bavaria, Germany.
- Family-friendly
- Free entry