Maiwiesn Burghausen

The Burghauser Mai-Wies'n is Landkreis Altötting's signature spring Volksfest, and unlike most large Bavarian folk festivals, it isn't city-run: the Werbering Burghausen, a local business association, founded it in 1968 and has organized it every year since, after several earlier attempts at a lasting spring fair hadn't stuck. The festival ran at the Lindenheim — today Burghausen's Stadtpark — through 2004, before moving to its current, larger Festplatz beside the Messehalle in 2005. 2026 marks the 56th edition, running 8 through 17 May, opening with a Standkonzert on Lindacher Platz and a Wies'n-Auszug of more than 1,000 participants — clubs, Trachtler, tent families, and decorated horse teams — marching to the Festplatz for the mayor's ceremonial keg-tapping.

What sets this festival apart is its setting and its structure: the Festplatz sits directly beneath the Burg zu Burghausen, listed by Guinness World Records as the longest castle complex in the world at roughly 1,051 metres, and the grounds run two distinct tents — the daytime, family-oriented Festzelt (Römersperger-Richter) and the later, DJ- and cocktail-driven Wiesnstadl (Restaurant GUM), which also runs its own Weissbier carousel bar. Admission to the grounds and both tents is free, though the site is cash-only apart from a single on-site ATM, and Festzelt table reservations — which open in mid-April — are worth booking ahead for weekend evenings. See Maiwiesn Burghausen page or explore Upper Bavaria.