Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around May. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Himmelfahrtsmarkt Kempten is a volksfest in Kempten, Bavaria. It runs from May 8–17, 2026. The Allgäu city's spring funfair on Königsplatz — rides and stalls timed to Ascension week.
Kempten's spring Ascension funfair on Königsplatz — ten days of rides and market stalls in the Allgäu.
Twice a year Kempten turns Königsplatz into a Vergnügungsmarkt. The Himmelfahrtsmarkt is the spring edition around Ascension, with carnival rides and fair stalls under Allgäu skies; the Kathreinemarkt returns in late October. It is a city-run Jahrmarkt more than a brewery Festzelt weekend.
The full story
The Himmelfahrtsmarkt takes over Königsplatz, Kempten's central square, for a ten-day funfair timed each year to Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) — a moveable public holiday that falls Thursday 14 May in 2026, inside the market's 8–17 May run. It's one half of a paired civic tradition: the same municipal organizer, Kempten Messe- und Veranstaltungs-Betrieb, runs an essentially identical-format autumn edition, the Kathreinemarkt, on the same square. Expect rides, games, and food stands rather than a beer-tent programme — there's no Festzelt, no Bierzelt, and no festival beer here, and visitors specifically hoping for a Bavarian beer-tent evening should look instead to the same organizer's Allgäuer Festwoche each August.
On two of the ten days, an adjoining traders' market (Händlermarkt) runs on Hildegardplatz and in the Stadtpark, giving repeat visitors a second, shopping-focused reason to return within the same window. Königsplatz sits within easy walking distance of Kempten's Residenz and St. Lorenz Basilica, making the market a natural add-on to an old-town visit rather than a destination requiring separate planning — and worth keeping the city name attached to any search, since Füssen, also in the Allgäu, runs its own separate, similarly named market the very same week. See Himmelfahrtsmarkt Kempten page or explore Swabia.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Kempten's spring funfair on Königsplatz, timed to Ascension week.
- Best for
- Allgäu visitors in town over Ascension who want a central-square funfair.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- This is a straightforward city funfair — go for the Königsplatz setting and the Ascension-week timing, not a beer program.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Himmelfahrtsmarkt Kempten in 2026?
- 8–17 May 2026. Confirmed on the City of Kempten Jahrmarkt page alongside Kathreinemarkt 23–31 Oct 2026.
- Where is it?
- On Königsplatz in Kempten (Allgäu). The city runs two Vergnügungsmärkte a year here: Himmelfahrtsmarkt in spring and Kathreinemarkt in autumn.
- Is it a beer tent Volksfest?
- It is framed as a Jahrmarkt / funfair market (rides and stalls) rather than a classic multi-tent Wiesn. Expect fairground atmosphere more than a named Festzelt brand.
- Who organizes it?
- Stadt Kempten via Kempten Messe- und Veranstaltungs-Betrieb (contact listed for Schausteller applications on kempten.de).
- Is there a beer tent at Himmelfahrtsmarkt Kempten?
- No — this is a city-run Jahrmarkt (funfair and traders' market), not a Bierzelt event. Visitors seeking a genuine Bavarian beer-tent experience in Kempten should look to the Allgäuer Festwoche, held on the same square each August.
- Is this the same as Füssen's Himmelfahrtsmarkt?
- No — Füssen, also in the Allgäu, runs its own separate, smaller Himmelfahrtsmarkt the same week. This is Kempten's own edition on Königsplatz.
- Indoor / rain-friendly