Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around August. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Kasendorfer Kellerfest 2026 was Sunday, 2 August, run by Gesangverein "Liederkranz" Kasendorf 1854 e.V. on Festplatz am Friesenbach. Entry is free. The day opened with a Standkonzert and procession through town before an afternoon of Kellerbier, local food, children's games, and a duck race in the Friesenbach, closing with an evening dance. Newly elected mayor Tanja Friedrich, in office since 1 May 2026, performed the ceremonial beer-tapping — her first Kellerfest as Bürgermeisterin.
- Best for
- Fränkische Schweiz visitors wanting a free, single-day village Kellerfest with a full day-into-evening programme — a procession, family-friendly afternoon activities including a duck race, and an evening dance — rather than a large-scale tourist production. A good fit for beer travelers already routing through the Kulmbach area who want a genuine small-town event rather than a standalone destination.
- Booking urgency
- No ticket or reservation needed — entry is free and it's a walk-up village event. The festival always falls on the first Sunday in August, so the date shifts year to year; confirm the current year's schedule before you travel, and check for weather-related cancellation notices if conditions look marginal.
Free single-day Kellerfest in Kasendorf — 2 August 2026 (first Sunday in August).
Kasendorf's Kellerfest is a Fränkische Schweiz cellar-beer tradition on the first Sunday in August, run since 1877 by the Gesangverein "Liederkranz" Kasendorf 1854 e.V. on Festplatz am Friesenbach. The 2026 day opened with a Standkonzert on the Marktplatz and a Festumzug through town, moved into an afternoon of Kellerbier, local food, CVJM children's games, and a duck race in the Friesenbach, and closed with an evening dance. Newly elected mayor Tanja Friedrich, in office since 1 May 2026, performed the ceremonial beer-tapping — her first Kellerfest as Bürgermeisterin. Confirm the year's start time before you travel.
The full story
Every year on the first Sunday in August, the small town of Kasendorf in the Fränkische Schweiz closes out its summer with the Kellerfest, a free, single-day festival organized by the Gesangverein "Liederkranz" Kasendorf 1854 e.V., a singing club that has run the event since 1877. In 2026 the date fell on Sunday, 2 August. The day opened with a Standkonzert on the Marktplatz, followed by a Festumzug that wound its way through the village to the Festplatz am Friesenbach — a shaded festival ground along the Friesenbach stream. There, the afternoon settled into an unhurried programme of Kellerbier, Bratwurst, and coffee and cake, with CVJM children's games and a duck race in the stream keeping families entertained before the day turned into an evening dance.
The festival's roots run deep but aren't fully documented. The Gesangverein traces informal gatherings on the Festplatz back to around 1859, under choir director Johann Leonhard Simon, before formalizing the Kellerfest as an annual first-Sunday-in-August event in 1877. Exactly why it's called a "Kellerfest" isn't firmly settled: one plausible explanation ties the name to the Felsenkeller, cellars cut into the Turmbergfels rock beneath the Magnusturm hill above the village, once used to store and age beer in the years before mechanical refrigeration — a practice common across this stretch of Upper Franconia. It's a reasonable theory rather than a confirmed founding story, and no single account fully explains how the tradition began.
2026 brought a fresh milestone: newly elected mayor Tanja Friedrich, who took office on 1 May 2026, performed the ceremonial beer-tapping — her first Kellerfest in the role. Entry to the festival has always been free, and the day runs rain or shine unless weather turns severe, in which case cancellation notices are posted on the club's own site. Because the date moves with the first Sunday of August each year, travelers should double-check the current year's schedule before planning a visit — and since this is a genuinely local, walk-up village event with no ticketing or reserved seating, arriving in time for the early-afternoon procession is the best way to catch the full day. See the Kasendorfer Kellerfest page or explore Upper Franconia.
History
Kasendorf's Kellerfest sits within Upper Franconia's broader tradition of brewing communities drinking beer straight from the cellars where it was stored — a practice common in the region before mechanical refrigeration. The festival's own exact origins aren't firmly documented: the Gesangverein "Liederkranz" Kasendorf 1854 e.V. has organized it every year on the first Sunday in August since 1877, with informal roots reaching back to around 1859, and one plausible — though unconfirmed — explanation ties the name to the historic Felsenkeller cellars cut into the Turmbergfels rock above the village, where beer was once stored and aged.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Gesangverein Liederkranz Kasendorf's afternoon Kellerfest pours Kellerbier at the Festplatz am Friesenbach.
- What to try
- Settle in for an afternoon of Kellerbier and local food rather than an evening program.
- Food pairing
- Local food is served alongside the Kellerbier.
- Best for
- Upper Franconia beer travelers who want a small-town choir-club-run Kellerfest.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- Run by a singing club dating to 1854, this stays a genuine local afternoon event rather than a tourist production.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Kasendorfer Kellerfest 2026?
- Sunday, 2 August 2026 — the festival always falls on the first Sunday in August.
- Is entry free?
- Yes — "Der Eintritt ist frei."
- Where is it held?
- Festplatz am Friesenbach in Kasendorf, with the day's opening concert and procession starting from the Marktplatz.
- Who organizes it?
- Gesangverein "Liederkranz" Kasendorf 1854 e.V. — a singing club, not a trade association — which has run the Kellerfest since 1877.
- What does "Kellerfest" mean, and why is it called that?
- The exact origin of the name isn't firmly established. One plausible explanation ties it to the Felsenkeller — cellars cut into the Turmbergfels rock beneath the Magnusturm hill above Kasendorf — once used to store and age beer before mechanical refrigeration, a practice common across this part of Upper Franconia. It's a reasonable theory, not a confirmed founding story.
- Who tapped the keg in 2026?
- Newly elected mayor Tanja Friedrich, who took office on 1 May 2026, performed the ceremonial beer-tapping — her first Kellerfest in the role.
- What's the schedule for the day?
- A Standkonzert and Festumzug (procession) through town open the day, leading into an afternoon of Kellerbier, local food, children's games, and a duck race in the Friesenbach, before the evening turns into a dance.
- Free entry
- Indoor / rain-friendly
- Scenic setting