Bad Kissingen Wine Festival

Bad Kissingen – Spa town with World Heritage status

Bad Kissingen is one of Southern Germany's most traditional spa towns. Since being awarded UNESCO World Heritage status as part of the "Great Spas of Europe" in 2021, the spa town has become one of the 11 most important European spa resorts of the 19th century. Tsars, kings, emperors, poets, and composers took cures here – today, it attracts wellness tourists and classical music lovers from all over the world. The Bad Kissingen Wine Festival takes place every year in late summer amidst this special atmosphere.

A stage of baroque architecture

The Market Square, with its historic facades, the former castle, and St. Jacob's Church, forms the backdrop. Tables and benches are arranged in a square, with music playing in the center and wineries and snack stands along the edges. As darkness falls, fairy lights illuminate the square – the atmosphere is half town festival, half open-air summer theater.

30 Franconian wines from the Saaletal

Unlike the large wine festivals in Volkach or Würzburg, the Bad Kissingen Wine Festival is curated: instead of all Franconian wines, around 30 carefully selected wines from the Saaletal, the northernmost large vineyard area in Franconia, are featured. The vintners are personally present, including the Keller Winery from Ramsthal, two organic wineries from Hammelburg (Müller Winery and Ruppert Winery), and other small producers. The selection ranges from the typical Franconian Silvaner to Müller-Thurgau and Bacchus, as well as cuvées and Pinot Noir.

Franconian Wine Queen opens the festival

The festive opening ceremony takes place every year on Wednesday at 6:30 PM with the Franconian Wine Queen, an annually elected ambassador of Franconian viticulture. She delivers the opening speech, honors the participating vintners, and pours the first glass.

Culinary accompanying program

The culinary selection ranges from classic Franconian cuisine – grilled sausages, Flammkuchen, Franconian snack platters, dumplings with sauce – to modern specialties such as vegan options and Mediterranean appetizers. Various food stalls cater to all tastes.

Music and dancing

Daily changing music groups play well-known hits from recent decades – pop, Schlager, rock, jazz standards, Franconian folk music. When darkness falls, the Market Square transforms into an open-air dance floor – this is the most charming moment of the festival.

Organizers and tradition

The Bad Kissingen Wine Festival is jointly organized by the Franconian Winegrowers' Association, the Bad Kissingen City Marketing, and Zametzer & Krohn GbR. The 14th edition will take place in 2026 – the festival has become a fixture in the Franconian wine festival calendar since its inception.