Quick answer
The Nuremberg Carnival Parade (Nürnberger Fastnachtszug) takes place on Faschingssonntag, Sunday, February 7, 2027, starting at 1:00 p.m. It runs free of charge from Bayreuther Straße through Nuremberg's Altstadt to the Weißer Turm, with roughly 16 carnival societies and about 40 groups in total tossing candy to an estimated 100,000 spectators. Organizers describe it as the world's oldest carnival parade, tracing it to a documented mention in 1397 — though the best independently documented Nuremberg carnival tradition, the Schembartlauf, is dated to 1449 and lapsed for over four centuries before a 1974 revival. A separate children's parade follows the next day, Rosenmontag.
- Best for
- Families with children (via the dedicated Rosenmontag children's parade), photographers and heritage travelers drawn to a medieval Altstadt backdrop, and visitors curious about Franconian carnival culture as a free, daytime counterpoint to Bavaria's beer-focused festivals. Not a fit for travelers seeking food-and-drink programming or a ticketed indoor experience.
- Booking urgency
- No booking required — this is free, open-air roadside viewing. Arrive well before the 1:00 p.m. start for a spot near Bayreuther Straße or the calmer Innere Laufer Gasse stretch; the Weißer Turm/Hauptmarkt finish fills fastest. If also attending a ticketed Prunksitzung or carnival ball that weekend, book those separately in advance, as they are capacity-limited indoor events distinct from the free parade.
Decorated floats from local carnival societies parade through Nuremberg's medieval old town.
On Faschingssonntag, colorful floats and costumed groups from around 16 Karneval societies process from Bayreuther Straße through the Altstadt to the Weißer Turm, tossing candy to onlookers. A companion children's parade runs on Rosenmontag.
The full story
Every year on Faschingssonntag — the Sunday seven weeks before Easter — Nuremberg's medieval Altstadt fills with candy-tossing floats, costumed carnival societies, and marching bands for the Nürnberger Fastnachtszug. For 2027, that date is confirmed as Sunday, February 7, starting at 1:00 p.m., when the parade sets off from Bayreuther Straße and winds through the old town to the Weißer Turm. It's organized by the Förderverein Nürnberger Fastnachtszug e.V. together with the City of Nuremberg, brings together around 16 member carnival societies and roughly 40 groups in total, and draws an estimated 100,000 spectators in a typical year — making it Franconia's largest carnival parade by a wide margin. Admission is free for anyone willing to claim a spot along the sidewalk.
Organizers describe the parade as the world's oldest carnival parade of its kind, tracing it to a first documented mention in 1397. Nuremberg's best-documented medieval carnival tradition, the Schembartlauf, tells a different story. Chronicled by the Historisches Lexikon Bayerns, that masked procession is dated to a first run in 1449, reached its peak between 1475 and 1524, and ended abruptly in 1539 after a performance mocking the reformer Andreas Osiander. It then lay dormant for 435 years before a dedicated group revived it in 1974 for occasional nostalgic reenactments that sometimes precede today's parade. Whatever the true starting date, the modern parade is a real, decades-old civic institution in its own right — its 16 member societies include two clubs, founded in 1904 and 1909, that are independently over a century old.
Plan on a half-day visit: the procession itself runs about ninety minutes to two hours, best paired with time in the Altstadt before or after at the Hauptmarkt, Lorenzkirche, or Kaiserburg. Innere Laufer Gasse is a recurring recommendation for families, as it tends to be less packed than the Hauptmarkt/Weißer Turm finish. Skip the car — several tram and bus routes suspend or shorten service for roughly four hours on parade day, while the U1 and U2 run with extra capacity directly along the route. No official food-vendor program is tied to the parade itself, so treat any Krapfen or mulled wine as a stop at a nearby Altstadt café rather than an on-route stall. Families with young children should also note the separate Rosenmontagskinderfaschingszug the following day, run by the city's Youth Office with its own route and program — and travelers should be careful not to confuse this event with Würzburg's similarly named Faschingszug, a different parade in a different city that often shares the same calendar date. Explore Middle Franconia or pair with Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt for a fuller Franconian itinerary.
History
The city and the parade's organizing association, Förderverein Nürnberger Fastnachtszug e.V., trace today's parade to a first documented mention in 1397 and describe it as the world's oldest carnival parade of its kind still held today, 'annually since then with interruptions.' Nuremberg's best-documented medieval carnival tradition, the Schembartlauf — a masked procession organized by the city's patrician class — is dated by the Historisches Lexikon Bayerns to a first run in 1449, reached its most elaborate period from 1475–1524, and ended in 1539 after a performance mocking the reformer Andreas Osiander. It then lay dormant for 435 years until a dedicated group, the Schembart-Gesellschaft, revived it in 1974 for occasional nostalgic appearances that sometimes lead today's parade. Regardless of how its ultimate age is dated, the modern Förderverein-organized parade is itself a genuine, decades-old civic tradition, coordinating 16 member carnival societies — two of which, founded in 1904 and 1909, are over a century old.
Eat & Drink Nearby
- Local specialty
- Standard Fasching-parade food along the route — expect Krapfen (filled doughnuts) and mulled wine from street vendors rather than a sit-down menu.
- Pair it with
- Nuremberg's Altstadt cafés for Krapfen and coffee before or after the parade.
- Itinerary fit
- Stake out a curbside spot for the parade from Bayreuther Straße to the Weißer Turm, then warm up at a nearby café — a half-day event, not a full day.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Nuremberg Carnival Parade in 2027?
- Sunday, February 7, 2027, starting at 1:00 p.m. The route runs from Bayreuther Straße through the Altstadt to the Weißer Turm.
- Is the parade free to attend?
- Yes — roadside viewing along the entire route is free, with no ticket required.
- Is this really the world's oldest carnival parade?
- That's the city and organizer's own framing, tracing the parade to a documented mention in 1397. Nuremberg's most rigorously documented medieval carnival tradition, the Schembartlauf, is dated to a first run in 1449, ended in 1539, and wasn't revived until 1974 as an occasional reenactment — a genuine multi-century gap that sits uneasily with any claim of continuous annual staging from 1397.
- Is there a separate parade for kids?
- Yes. The Rosenmontagskinderfaschingszug runs the next day (Rosenmontag) and is organized separately by the city's Youth Office, with its own route and program. Confirm the 2027 date and route closer to the event.
- How do I get to the parade without a car?
- Take the U1 or U2, which run with reinforced service directly along the route. Several surface tram and bus lines are suspended or shortened for roughly four hours on parade day, and city-center car access is restricted.
- Is there food and drink at the parade itself?
- No official vendor program is documented for the parade route. Krapfen (filled doughnuts) and mulled wine are typical of Fasching season generally in Nuremberg's Altstadt cafés and bakeries, but they aren't confirmed as parade-specific stalls.
- Free entry