Events in Saxony this weekend, August 8 and 9, 2026, range from chamber music at Moritzburg Castle to the region's biggest air show in Bautzen. Wine lovers, jazz fans and anyone after a classic village festival will find something too. Our pick for the weekend: the Moritzburg Festival, which opens its new season with international soloists. So where to go – the castle, the airfield, or the riverbank in Dresden?
Moritzburg Festival: world-class chamber music opens the weekend
The Moritzburg Festival opens its new season on August 7, 2026, around the Saxon baroque castle just outside Dresden. Under cellist Jan Vogler's artistic direction, international soloists and young talents have gathered here since 1993 for a packed chamber music programme, backed by the festival's own academy for emerging musicians. The festival runs through August 23, with the opening weekend counting among the most respected chamber music gatherings worldwide.
MDR Musiksommer: Germany's public broadcaster opens in Leipzig
Germany's MDR broadcaster launches its MDR Musiksommer on August 7, 2026, on Leipzig's Augustusplatz. The 35th edition runs through September 5 across roughly 50 venues in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia under the motto “Nature as a Stage.” The MDR Symphony Orchestra and international soloists bring classical, jazz and crossover programming to monasteries, castle courtyards and palaces. The opening weekend of August 8–9 kicks off one of central Germany's largest classical series.
Chemnitz Wine Festival: a 24-day wine village downtown
Through August 16, the Chemnitz Wine Festival turns the centre of the 2025 European Capital of Culture into a wine village, marked by a walk-through 20-metre wine barrel. Over 50 winemakers from Saxony, the Mosel, the Palatinate, Franconia and international regions pour their wines across the Marktplatz, Neumarkt and Jakobikirchplatz. By the weekend of August 8–9, the festival is already in its third week, with a well-rehearsed rhythm across its three downtown locations.
Filmnächte am Elbufer: open-air cinema facing Dresden's old town
For more than 30 years, Filmnächte am Elbufer has defined summer in Dresden. On the Königsufer riverbank, facing the Frauenkirche, Hofkirche and Semperoper, a huge screen shows nearly 100 films through late August for an open-air audience of over 10,000. Around a dozen concerts by well-known artists round out the programme. On August 8 and 9, the schedule runs as it does every evening of the season, with a rotating film line-up.
Jazztage Bad Elster: 22nd edition opens in a spa town on the border
From August 7 to 16, 2026, the International Jazz Days Bad Elster mark their 22nd edition, ranked among Saxony's finest jazz festivals. The historic König Albert Theater, the NaturTheater and the KunstWandelhalle host international jazz names, brass ensembles and classical-jazz crossover projects. The spa town sits directly on the Czech border, which lends the programme an Eastern European flavour too. Anyone without spa-town plans yet in the Vogtland can pair one with the opening weekend of August 8–9.
Flugtage Bautzen: Saxony's biggest air show
From August 7 to 9, 2026, Flugtage Bautzen turns the local airfield into an open-air showground. Aerobatics, model aircraft, scenic flights, historic planes, military displays and Lusatia's largest antiques and flea market fill the site. Billed as Saxony's biggest air show, the programme runs continuously across all three days, with aerobatic displays scheduled both Saturday and Sunday.
Bautz'ner Senfwochen: a culinary tradition with bite
Through August 30, twelve restaurants, cafés and shops in Bautzen's old town serve their own mustard creations for the Bautz'ner Senfwochen. Sorbian mustard recipes, mustard cocktails, spicy roast hare and mustard desserts headline the 21st edition, themed “That's what home tastes like.” On the weekend of August 8–9, the event is only in its first of four weeks – in the same town as the Flugtage air show.
Schönecker Heimatfest: four days of town festival in the Vogtland
The Schönecker Heimatfest is the main annual town festival of Schöneck, a hilltop spa town in the Vogtland. From August 7 to 10, 2026, the town park becomes festival grounds with live music, children's entertainment, local club stands and a play staged by the local history society. The town's elevation keeps midsummer temperatures noticeably cooler than in the lowlands – one reason the tradition has lasted for decades.
Insects and Spiders OpenAir: one of Saxony's oldest open-airs
On August 7 and 8, 2026, the historic forest stage in Börnichen's palace park, near Oederan, becomes a two-stage open-air venue with free camping. The Insects and Spiders OpenAir ranks among the state's oldest and most consistently running music festivals, spanning indie rock, newcomer pop, world music and electronic sets. Anyone after a compact, tent-and-campfire festival rather than a big-city crowd is better placed in the Ore Mountains this weekend.
HISTORIK MOBIL: steam trains and vintage vehicles in the Zittau mountains
Marking its 20th anniversary, HISTORIK MOBIL turns the stations of Zittau, Jonsdorf and Kurort Oybin into a living transport museum from August 7 to 9. Historic steam locomotives run on every line of the Zittau narrow-gauge railway, while Jonsdorf hosts its own vintage vehicle days. One of eastern Germany's biggest rail and vintage vehicle festivals draws both technology fans and families. On August 8 and 9, riding the narrow-gauge line itself is worth more than watching it pass by.
Laurentiusfest Zwenkau: a summer festival by the lake
On August 7 and 8, 2026, the Laurentiusfest takes place at the Waldbad Zwenkau, right on the shore of the artificial Lake Zwenkau in the Leipzig district. The long-standing folk festival is held every year around the feast day of St Lawrence (August 10) and offers music, regional food and sports activities. Unlike many town festivals, the lakeside setting is the main draw here, not a historic market square.
More events in Saxony this weekend
From chamber music in Moritzburg to an air show in Bautzen and a village festival in the Vogtland, the weekend of August 8–9, 2026 shows just how differently Saxony celebrates. For more dates, or events in another German state, check the weekend agenda.
