Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around May. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Future dates
- 2027May 8–9, 2027
Quick answer
Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan is a specialty plant and garden market on the TUM/HSWT Weihenstephan campus in Freising, Bavaria, timed to Mother's Day weekend. The 2026 edition runs May 9–10. Expect specialist plant nurseries, institute talks, kids' workshops, and a Weihenstephaner Bräustüberl beer garden on-site — this is a garden fair, not a brewery open house.
Specialty plant fair on TUM’s Weihenstephan campus — growers, talks, kids’ workshops, plus a Bräustüberl beer garden.
Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan is a specialty plant and garden market held each Mother's Day weekend on the TUM/HSWT campus in Weihenstephan, Freising. The 2026 edition ran 9–10 May, 10:00–18:00 both days, with specialist plant nurseries, garden accessories and handicrafts, institute lectures, live music, and children's workshops such as tree climbing. The 2025 debut drew roughly 15,000 visitors over two days and about 140 exhibitors. A Weihenstephaner Bräustüberl beer garden provides on-site hospitality, but this is a garden and plant fair, not a brewery open house or beer-tasting event, despite the Weihenstephan name. The next edition is already announced for 8–9 May 2027.
The full story
Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan turns the TUM/HSWT campus in Weihenstephan, Freising, into a two-day plant and garden market every Mother's Day weekend. The 2026 edition ran Saturday and Sunday, 9–10 May, 10:00–18:00 both days, at Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 1, organized by horticultural engineers Robert Sulzberger and Tobias Mayerhofer in partnership with TUM School of Life Sciences, HSWT, and the City of Freising. Around 140 exhibitors typically take part, with a strong concentration of specialist nurseries — peonies, iris, daylilies, hostas, roses, clematis, orchids, cacti, wild perennials, herbs, and tomato seedlings — alongside garden tools, handicrafts, and food vendors.
Beyond shopping, the fair layers in institute lectures and show-garden tours from the university partners, live music, and children's activities such as tree climbing and craft workshops. Freising's tourist office also runs free guided-tour add-ons: a historical walk up Weihenstephaner Hill and a walk along the Weihenstephan Art Path. A Weihenstephaner Bräustüberl beer garden sits on-site for refreshment, but it's hospitality on the side, not the draw — this is a plant and garden market, not a brewery open house. Admission is ticketed rather than free; the organizer's site currently shows 2027 season pricing (adult €9, reduced tiers €6–8, a €13 day pass, children 14 and under free with a paying parent) as a guide to the structure, though the exact 2026 figures weren't independently confirmed.
Two ages and one look-alike name are worth keeping straight. The fair itself is young — its first edition ran in 2025, its second in 2026, with a third already scheduled for 8–9 May 2027 — a genuinely new event rather than an old tradition. The organizers bring longer garden-fair experience from two now-closed Lake Constance events, Gartentage Lindau and Bregenzer Gartenkultur, but that history belongs to the organizers, not to this Freising fair. Separately, Weihenstephan the place carries a far older story: the Weihenstephan Abbey and brewery on the same hill trace back roughly a thousand years, one of the world's oldest continuously operating breweries — a fact about the institution next door, not about this two-year-old plant fair. And despite the similar name, this event is not connected to the older, now-closed Freisinger Gartentage, a separate 25-year garden fair (1997–2023) that ran at Freising's former Neustift Monastery grounds under different organizers.
For visitors, it pairs naturally with a Freising city visit or a separate, dedicated Weihenstephan brewery tour on another day — the plant market and the brewery are two different stories on the same hill, best experienced as two different outings rather than one. See Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan page or explore Upper Bavaria.
History
The Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan itself is a young event: it held its first edition in 2025, making the 2026 edition its second, with a third already scheduled for 8–9 May 2027. The organizing horticultural engineers, Robert Sulzberger and Tobias Mayerhofer, bring longer experience in the garden-fair business from two now-closed Lake Constance events they previously ran, Gartentage Lindau (2006–2019) and Bregenzer Gartenkultur (2011–2019) — a track record that belongs to the organizers, not to this Freising event's own age. Separately, Weihenstephan as a place carries a far older history: the Weihenstephan Abbey and brewery on the same hill trace back to the 11th century, making it one of the world's oldest continuously operating breweries — but that age belongs to the abbey and brewery, not to this two-year-old plant fair held on the surrounding campus grounds. A fourth, distinct thread worth noting: a separate garden event called Freisinger Gartentage ran in Freising for 25 years (1997–2023) at the former Neustift Monastery grounds under a different organizer, before closing; despite the similar name and shared city, it has no direct connection to this event.
Practical tips
The English-language details German fest pages usually skip.
- Nearest station
- Freising Bahnhof (S1 / regional), then bus 636/638 to Weihenstephan or ~1.6 km walk to Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 1.
- From Munich
- S1 or regional train to Freising (~25–45 min), then bus 636/638 to Weihenstephan.
- Cash vs card
- An EC/debit card ATM is available near the main entrance area (Bäckerei Wiesender).
- Reservations
- Advance tickets for the 2027 edition are expected to go on sale through the organizer's ticket shop starting around December 2026.
- Kids / family
- Kids' program (tree climbing, craft workshops); children 14 and under are free when accompanied by a paying parent; dogs on leash allowed.
- What to wear
- Comfortable outdoor shoes for campus paths; bring your own bags/carriers (organizers ask visitors to reduce waste).
Frequently asked questions
- When are the Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan in 2026?
- Saturday–Sunday, 9–10 May 2026, 10:00–18:00 each day on the TUM Weihenstephan campus (Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 1, 85354 Freising).
- Is this a brewery festival?
- No. It is a specialty garden/plant market with exhibitors, lectures, live music, and kids’ activities. A Weihenstephaner Bräustüberl beer garden is part of the hospitality — brewery tours are not the main program.
- Is entry free?
- No — it's a ticketed public fair. The exact 2026 euro prices weren't independently confirmed; the organizer's site currently shows 2027 season pricing (adult €9, reduced tiers €6–8, day pass €13), which illustrates the pricing structure without being a confirmed 2026 figure. Children up to 14 are free when accompanied by a parent, and parking is included with the ticket price.
- How do I get there from Freising station?
- Bus 636 (weekends ~every 30 min) or 638 (weekends hourly) to stop Weihenstephan, or ~1.6 km walk via Saar-/Johannis-/Vöttinger Straße. Nav address: Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 1.
- How old is the Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan?
- The event itself is young — it held its first edition in 2025, making 2026 its second year, with a third edition already scheduled for May 2027. That's separate from the roughly thousand-year history of Weihenstephan as a place: the Weihenstephan Abbey and brewery on the same hill trace back to the 11th century, but that age belongs to the abbey and brewery, not to this plant and garden fair.
- Is this the same as Freisinger Gartentage?
- No. Freisinger Gartentage was a separate, 25-year garden event held in Freising from 1997 to 2023 at the former Neustift Monastery grounds, organized independently and now closed. Gartentage Freising-Weihenstephan is a different, newer event that began in 2025 on the TUM/HSWT Weihenstephan campus under different organizers — despite the similar name and shared city, there's no direct continuity between the two.
- Family-friendly
- Indoor / rain-friendly