Bandlift Festival Gerstetten
Free & Open Air — Ostwürttemberg's largest youth festival on the Heidealb
About Bandlift Festival
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Bandlift Festival al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
Four Days Free & Open Air at the Airfield
Since 2015, the Bandlift Festival has been the musical highlight of the summer in Gerstetten and is considered the largest free and open-air youth festival in Ostwürttemberg. From July 16 to 19, 2026, four festival days will take place on the spacious festival meadow at the Gerstetten airfield, in the middle of the Ostalb heath landscape. Admission is free, and around 3,000 visitors are expected. The festival is organized by Musikverein Harmonie Gerstetten e.V., which offers young bands from the region and beyond a professional stage with Bandlift.
Four Festival Days, Four Concepts
Each day has its own format: Thursday is Choir Night — regional choirs take the stage and open the festival with vocal programs. Friday becomes Band Night: newcomer bands and established indie acts play the main stage late into the night. Saturday combines the Beer Mile (regional breweries, culinary delights, cozy beer bench atmosphere) with the second Band Night. Sunday concludes the festival with an open-air church service and the Youth Day of Brass Music — young brass orchestras from Baden-Württemberg present themselves in a marathon program.
Heidealb, Airfield, and Festival Meadow
Gerstetten is located on the Swabian Jura between Heidenheim and Ulm and belongs to the district of Heidenheim. The Gerstetten airfield offers spacious meadows with views over the Heidealb — an extraordinary festival location far from urban hustle and bustle. Camping is generally possible on the grounds, and the festival meadow becomes a festival city for an extended weekend.
Musikverein Harmonie Gerstetten as Organizer
Musikverein Harmonie Gerstetten e.V. has been organizing Bandlift since its first edition in 2015 and has developed it into a cultural engine for the region. The festival combines brass music tradition (Sunday Youth Day) with the promotion of young rock, pop, and indie bands (Friday/Saturday Band Night), thus bridging classical club music and contemporary festival culture. Applications for band participation for 2026 are now closed — the lineup will be announced on bandlift.de and on social media.
Bandlift Festival — edition 2026
Four Days of Festival at Gerstetten Airfield
From Thursday, July 16 to Sunday, July 19, 2026, the Bandlift Festival opens its new edition. The venue is the spacious Gerstetten airfield in the Ostalb heath landscape — a unique festival location with views over the fields and meadows of the Swabian Jura.
The festival combines traditional club music (choir night and youth day of brass music) with contemporary festival culture (two band nights with newcomer bands and indie acts) and a beer mile with regional breweries on Saturday. Admission is free for all four days. The lineup will be announced in advance on bandlift.de.
Programme Bandlift Festival 2026
Thursday, July 16, 2026 — Choir Night
- Regional choirs and vocal projects on the main stage
- Festival opening in the evening
Friday, July 17, 2026 — Band Night
- Newcomer bands and established acts on the main stage
- Program until late at night
Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Beer Mile + Band Night
- Beer Mile with regional breweries and culinary offerings
- Second major band night with live music
Sunday, July 19, 2026 — Open-Air Church Service and Youth Day of Brass Music
- Open-air church service to conclude the festival
- Youth Day of Brass Music — young brass orchestras from Baden-Württemberg in a marathon program
The full lineup will be published on bandlift.de and on social media channels.
Highlights Bandlift Festival 2026
- Four days Free & Open Air — free admission
- Ostwürttemberg's largest youth festival (~3,000 visitors)
- Choir night, band night, beer mile + band night, and youth brass music day
- Gerstetten airfield in the Heidealb landscape
- Organized by Musikverein Harmonie Gerstetten e.V.
Prices Bandlift Festival 2026
Free admission to the entire festival. Food and drinks at the festival stands and the beer mile at usual prices.
Practical information — Bandlift Festival
Getting There
Gerstetten is located on the A 7 motorway (exit Heidenheim or Niederstotzingen). The nearest train station is Heidenheim, from where you can take bus line to Gerstetten. Follow the signs from the center of Gerstetten to the airfield. Ample festival parking is available on site.
Festival Days 2026
Thursday, July 16, 2026: Choir Night. Friday, July 17, 2026: Band Night. Saturday, July 18, 2026: Beer Mile + Band Night. Sunday, July 19, 2026: Open-Air Church Service and Youth Day of Brass Music.
Admission
Free admission to the entire festival (Free & Open Air). Expected attendance: around 3,000. Camping on site is possible (details on the festival website).
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
Max. 5 photos, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Each suggestion is reviewed by our team before being published.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Bandlift Festival al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
Where it takes place Bandlift Festival
Segelflugplatz Gerstetten · Festwiese
Segelflugplatz Gerstetten, 89547 Gerstetten