Kulmbacher Bierwoche

The Kulmbacher Bierwoche is the beer festival of Kulmbach, a brewing town in Upper Franconia, in northern Bavaria. The festival site is published by the Kulmbacher Brauerei AG. The organisers call it a classic beer festival, “probably the most rustic and the finest of its kind”, and promise to keep it that way. Since 2018 it has been held in a new Stadl, a large festival tent with spacious outdoor areas, at EKU-Platz in the town centre. The square takes its name from the Erste Kulmbacher Actienbrauerei, one of the town’s historic breweries, now part of the Kulmbacher group.

Kulmbacher Bierwoche 2027

The 76th Kulmbacher Bierwoche runs from Saturday 31 July to Sunday 8 August 2027, as the festival announced on 3 August 2026. The 75th edition opened on Saturday 25 July 2026. According to the FAQ, access to the grounds and the programme in the Stadl are free of charge. The exception is the Tag der Generationen, always on the Tuesday afternoon: in 2026, on Tuesday 28 July, it was a paid event until 3:30 pm, and access was free again from 3:30 pm.

What to drink and eat

• Kulmbach beer. The festival takes its name from a brewing town, and its site is published by the brewery that carries the town’s name.
• Franconian food. Upper Franconia has its own beer-hall cooking: grilled bratwurst, roast pork with dumplings, and pretzels.
• Franconia’s small breweries. Outside the festival, the region is dotted with village breweries and beer cellars, worth a detour by car or bike.

When to come

Nine days, from a Saturday to the Sunday of the following week, cover two weekends, so a weekend trip and a stop on a longer tour of Bavaria both work.

Getting there

According to the FAQ, the Stadl at EKU-Platz is an 8 to 10 minute walk from Kulmbach station. Regional trains serve Kulmbach station, with connections towards Bamberg, Bayreuth and Nuremberg. Nuremberg Airport is the nearest large airport. By car, Kulmbach is off the A70 motorway between Bamberg and Bayreuth.

Where to stay and budget

Kulmbach has hotels and guesthouses in and around the old town. Bayreuth is the other base. The Bayreuth Festival, devoted to Wagner’s operas, runs from late July through August and overlaps the Bierwoche.

Around the festival

The Plassenburg, the castle on the hill above Kulmbach, houses a museum of tin figures, and the Mönchshof, in town, houses a Bavarian brewery museum. Both make a daytime visit before an evening in the Stadl. Apart from the Tuesday afternoon of the Tag der Generationen, entry is free: the budget is what you drink and eat, and the room.

Combine with

Less than three weeks after it closes, the Mainzer Weinmarkt opens in Mainz on 26 August 2027, and Munich’s Oktoberfest begins on 18 September 2027. In Munich, the guide also lists a food tour of the Viktualienmarkt.