Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around May. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
The Ingolstädter Volksfest (Pfingstvolksfest), also called the Schanzer Pfingstvolksfest, runs 22–31 May 2026 on the Festplatz at Dreizehnerstraße in Ingolstadt. It is the spring half of Ingolstadt's twice-yearly Schanzer Volksfeste, with amusement rides, market stalls, and beer tents; the autumn Herbstvolksfest follows later in the year at the same grounds. Rides, games, and tent seating are priced individually.
Spring Pfingstvolksfest on Ingolstadt’s Dreizehnerstraße Festplatz — rides, tents, and the Schanzer Wiesn atmosphere.
Ingolstadt hosts Volksfeste twice a year on the Dreizehnerstraße grounds — this spring edition, also known locally as the Schanzer Pfingstvolksfest or simply the Schanzer Volksfest, is the earlier of the two, with the Herbstvolksfest following each autumn at the same grounds. The 2026 run is 22–31 May, ten days of classic Bavarian fairground energy: Schausteller rides, market stalls, Festzelt nights, and wheelchair-friendly accessibility options on-site.
The full story
Ingolstadt's spring Pfingstvolksfest fills the roughly 40,000-square-meter Volksfestplatz on Dreizehnerstraße for ten days each year, timed to the moving Pentecost holiday — the 2026 run is 22 through 31 May. Locally it's also called the Schanzer Pfingstvolksfest or simply the Schanzer Volksfest, using Ingolstadt's own old-fortress nickname, and it appears elsewhere simply as the "Ingolstädter Frühlingsfest" — all names for this same spring event. Rides, games, and Festzelt seating are priced individually.
The festival's continuous run traces to a 1946 post-war revival, held first at a smaller Festplatz south of the old town before the 1972 move to the current Dreizehnerstraße grounds. That 1946 date is distinct from an older, separate 1933/1934 precursor — a city-council decision to expand Ingolstadt's historic spring trade fair into an annual Volksfest — and from the town's much older medieval trading-rights history dated 1323 to 1384; neither of those earlier dates describes this festival's own age. It's also worth keeping straight from two other events it's easily confused with: Ingolstadt's own autumn Herbstvolksfest, a separate and younger festival (tracing to roughly 1975) held at the identical Dreizehnerstraße grounds under the same city organizer; and the many other Bavarian towns that hold their own, unrelated "Pfingstvolksfest" on the same Pentecost weekend, including Bad Aibling's.
The ten days open with a traditional keg-tapping, then run a full fairground lineup from children's carousels to larger thrill rides alongside two named Festzelt tents — Herrnbräu and Nordbräu — that anchor the beer and brass-band atmosphere most editions, sometimes joined by a rotating third, smaller craft-beer tent. A midweek family afternoon offers reduced ride pricing, a general-goods market runs along Dreizehnerstraße itself, and the run typically closes with a fireworks display near the second weekend. See Volksfest Ingolstadt page or explore Upper Bavaria.
History
This spring Pfingstvolksfest traces its continuous run to a 1946 post-war revival, when the festival returned to a Festplatz south of the old town; it moved in 1972 to its current, larger Dreizehnerstraße grounds, where it remains today. That 1946 date is distinct from an earlier, separate 1933/1934 precursor — a city-council decision to expand Ingolstadt's historic spring trade fair into an annual Volksfest — and from the town's much older medieval trading-rights history (1323–1384); neither of those earlier dates describes this festival's own age. The autumn Herbstvolksfest, held at the same Dreizehnerstraße grounds, is a separate and younger event (tracing to roughly 1975) and shouldn't be confused with this spring edition.
On Tap
- Local focus
- One of Ingolstadt's two annual Schanzer Volksfeste, with amusement rides, market stalls, and beer tents on the Festplatz.
- What to try
- Check the current ride and tent lineup before you go, since specifics shift a little edition to edition.
- Food pairing
- Standard Volksfest market-stall food sits alongside the beer tents.
- Best for
- Ingolstadt-area visitors who want a reliable spring fairground fix without traveling to Munich.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- This spring edition and its autumn counterpart are Ingolstadt's bread-and-butter Volksfeste — straightforward rides, stalls, and beer, twice a year.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Volksfest Ingolstadt in 2026?
- The spring Pfingstvolksfest is 22–31 May 2026. The city's own Kulturamt also runs a separate autumn edition, the Herbstvolksfest, at the same Dreizehnerstraße grounds — its 2026 dates are 25 September–4 October.
- Where is the festival held?
- On the Ingolstadt Volksfestplatz along Dreizehnerstraße — locally known as the Schanzer Wiesn.
- What happens at the fest?
- Ten days of fairground rides (from roller coasters to kids' carousels), food stalls, and Festzelt entertainment across two named beer tents. The festival opens with a traditional keg-tapping (Anstich), includes a midweek family afternoon with reduced ride pricing, and closes near the second weekend with a fireworks display.
- How do I get practical updates?
- Check the festival's own site closer to the date for exact opening hours, the current ride and stall lineup, and accessibility details, since specifics can shift a little edition to edition.
- Is this the same as Ingolstadt's autumn Volksfest?
- No. This is the spring Pfingstvolksfest (22–31 May 2026). The city's Kulturamt separately runs the Herbstvolksfest each autumn (25 September–4 October 2026) at the identical Dreizehnerstraße grounds, under the same organizer — a different, later edition, not a repeat listing of this one.
- Are 'Schanzer Volksfest,' 'Schanzer Pfingstvolksfest,' and 'Ingolstädter Frühlingsfest' different events?
- No — all three names refer to this same spring festival. 'Schanzer' is Ingolstadt's own nickname, from its old fortress (Schanze), and 'Ingolstädter Frühlingsfest' is simply an alternate label used for the identical event on one festival-listings site.
- Is this the same as other towns' 'Pfingstvolksfest' events on the same weekend?
- No. 'Pfingstvolksfest' is a generic name used by many Bavarian towns for festivals timed to the same Pentecost weekend — including events in Neustadt an der Donau, Berching, and Bad Aibling's own Pfingstvolksfest (also 22–31 May 2026). Each is a separate, independently organized event; this is the Ingolstadt edition at Dreizehnerstraße, not any of the others.
- Indoor / rain-friendly