Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around February. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
BierWochen in the Fränkische Schweiz is an annual culinary season from Ash Wednesday 18 February through Beer Day 23 April 2026. More than 70 breweries and participating inns offer beer-refined menus and regional beer pairings across the highest brewery-density landscape in Germany — not a single June fair.
- Best for
- Beer-and-food road trippers, brewery hikers, couples' spring getaways in Oberfranken.
- Booking urgency
- Medium — reserve participating Gasthöfe on weekends during Lent–April; check fraenkische-schweiz.com for the current year's participant list.
Region-wide Franconian Switzerland beer cuisine season from Ash Wednesday to Beer Day, 18 Feb – 23 Apr 2026.
BierWochen is a restaurant-and-brewery season across Franconian Switzerland, not a gated festival. Official copy runs Ash Wednesday through Tag des Bieres (23 April in 2026) — a Lent-to-spring window for Kellerbier and regional cuisine at participating houses.
History
The Fränkische Schweiz has one of the highest brewery densities in the world — 69 family-run breweries region-wide — a pattern rooted in centuries of nearly every village brewing its own beer. BierWochen itself is newer: Fränkische Schweiz Tourismus launched it in 2016 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot (1516–2016), running the season from Ash Wednesday to Tag des Bieres (23 April) each year since.
On Tap
- Local focus
- A two-month culinary season across the Fränkische Schweiz, with more than 70 breweries and inns serving beer-refined menus.
- What to try
- Pick a few participating inns and work through their beer-paired menus rather than trying to cover the whole region.
- Food pairing
- Beer-refined dishes are built specifically around each inn's regional pairings.
- Best for
- Beer travelers who want to explore the world's highest brewery-density landscape at a slow, restaurant-by-restaurant pace.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- Running Ash Wednesday through Beer Day, this is a season-long culinary trail, not a single fairground event — plan multiple stops, not one visit.
Frequently asked questions
- When are BierWochen 2026?
- 18 February – 23 April 2026 (fraenkischertag.de TZ press; food-festivals.de).
- Is it one festival location?
- No — it's a region-wide restaurant and brewery programme (fraenkische-schweiz.com).
- Why do some listings show June dates?
- Some third-party listings show June dates in error — the official 2026 season runs Ash Wednesday (Feb 18) through Tag des Bieres, ending April 23. Treat any June or July date for BierWochen as outdated.
- Is there free entry?
- No single gate; you pay at participating restaurants for food and beer.
- Reservation recommended