Name: 2nd Arnstadt Festival of the Arts 2026
Start: 2026-07-04T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-07-04T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Innenstadt Arnstadt — Prinzenhof und Kirchengarten der Liebfrauenkirche

Festival of the Arts

About Festival of the Arts

The Arnstadt Festival of the Arts — in its second edition on July 4, 2026 — is an evening cultural marathon in the oldest town in Thuringia. Galleries, museums, church gardens, and cultural institutions in the city center open their doors for a program of art, music, literature, poetry slam, and performance. The premiere in 2025, featuring poetry slam, jazz, and electric cello, was successfully held in the Prinzenhof and the church garden of the Liebfrauenkirche — admission free.

Dates 04 Jul — 04 Jul 2026

Venue Arnstadt (16070)

Prices Free

Status —

Edition 2026

Festival of the Arts — edition 2026

The 2nd Arnstadt Festival of the Arts 2026 is expected to take place on Saturday, July 4, 2026, as an evening cultural marathon in the city center of the oldest town in Thuringia. Galleries, museums, and cultural institutions will open their doors for art, music, literature, and performance. The detailed program will be communicated in the weeks leading up to the event.

The second edition builds on the successful premiere format of 2025. Similar elements are expected: poetry slam, live music (jazz and pop), performances with modern instruments like electric cello and loop station, and a literature program by the City and District Library. Venues are expected to include the Prinzenhof, the church garden of the Liebfrauenkirche, and other cultural institutions in the city center.

Highlights Festival of the Arts 2026

Cultural marathon in the oldest town in Thuringia
Prinzenhof and church garden as venues
Poetry slam, jazz, electric cello, and loop station
Free admission

Programme Festival of the Arts 2026

Saturday, July 4, 2026 — Arnstadt City Center

Afternoon: Program opening
Expected venues: Prinzenhof, church garden of the Liebfrauenkirche, galleries
Planned elements (based on 2025 experience):
— Poetry slam rounds with various artists
— Live music (jazz, pop, acoustic solos)
— Performances with modern instruments (electric cello, loop station)
— Literature and interactive program by the library
— Galleries and museums open their doors
Evening: Main program until midnight

Detailed program and exact date on arnstadt.de.

Prices Festival of the Arts 2026

Free admission (based on the 2025 premiere). Detailed information from the City of Arnstadt.

Practical information

Practical information — Festival of the Arts

Getting There

Arnstadt is a train stop on the Erfurt–Würzburg line. Approximately a 10-minute walk from the station to the city center. By car, take the A71 (Arnstadt exit) — parking available around the city center.

Admission

Admission to the 2025 Festival of the Arts was free. The same concept is expected for 2026; exact details will be communicated before the event.

Tip

The festival weekend can be well combined with a day trip to the Bachkirche, the Schlossmuseum, and the Kunsthalle — Arnstadt is one of the most culturally rich small towns in Thuringia.

Arnstadt — the oldest town in Thuringia

Arnstadt, located in the Ilm district south of Erfurt, boasts over 1,300 years of town history and is considered the oldest town in Thuringia (first mentioned in 704 in a deed of donation by Boniface). The historic city center, with the Liebfrauenkirche, the Bachkirche complex (where Johann Sebastian Bach was organist from 1703–1707), Neideck Castle, and the Castle Museum with the famous "Mon Plaisir Doll City" collections, provides an exceptional backdrop for a nighttime cultural program.

Premiere 2025 — The First Festival of the Arts

The Festival of the Arts was held for the first time in 2025 — an initiative by the town of Arnstadt and the City and District Library to re-stage the city center as a cultural venue. The premiere on July 12, 2025, from 4:00 PM to midnight, took place in the Prinzenhof and the adjacent church garden of the Liebfrauenkirche. The program included two poetry slam sessions of 45 minutes each, the Ton Kollektiv ensemble performing jazz and pop interpretations, Benni Cellini with electric cello and loop station, as well as a literature and interactive program by the library. Admission was free.

2nd Edition 2026

For 2026, the Festival of the Arts — presumably on July 4, 2026 — is announced as the 2nd edition. It aims to build on the successful format of the premiere and potentially expand the venues. Specific program details will be communicated in the weeks leading up to the event on the town's website and by the participating cultural institutions.

A Town with Bach Tradition

Arnstadt is the "first Bach town" in the composer's career — the young Johann Sebastian Bach took up his post here in 1703 as an 18-year-old organist at the Neue Kirche (today's Bachkirche). The famous Bach organ, which he played, is preserved and can be visited. Visitors attending the Festival of the Arts should also visit the Bach Museum on the market square — the connection to classical music makes Arnstadt an unusually culturally rich place.

Galleries, Museums, and Art Gallery

The Kunsthalle Arnstadt exhibits contemporary and modern art, the Schlossmuseum displays the unique 18th-century doll city miniatures, and the Stadtmuseum showcases the town's history. These institutions are potential venues for the Festival of the Arts — the 2026 program planning will reveal which spaces will be used.