Bohnenviertel Festival Stuttgart

The Bohnenviertel – Stuttgart's Most Beautiful Old Town Core

The Bohnenviertel is one of the last contiguous old town areas in Stuttgart's city center, which was otherwise shaped by bombing raids and reconstruction. Between Charlottenplatz and Leonhardsplatz, southeast of the Königsbau, you'll find narrow alleys, courtyards, small boutiques, galleries, antique shops, and, above all, an unusually high density of traditional Swabian inns. The district owes its name to its historic vegetable gardens – beans were the main crop – and its function as a quarter for the poorer population of Stuttgart in the 19th century.

35 Years of Tradition

HGV Bohnenviertel e.V. has been organizing the Bohnenviertel Festival for over three decades. It has long been a fixture in Stuttgart's event calendar, while still retaining its very own, rather relaxed character: no large commercial festival machinery, but a neighborhood festival where local restaurateurs, boutiques, and galleries join forces with residents to celebrate in the streets. Anyone who has ever sat in a rustic courtyard with Trollinger wine and Maultaschen on a Saturday evening knows what Stuttgart residents love about their district.

Program and Atmosphere

A dense program of live bands, DJ sets, and street musicians unfolds on several small stages and in the courtyards. The spectrum ranges from acoustic folk to jazz trios and funk bands, to electronic sets in the late hours of Saturday. In addition, there are hands-on activities for children, sports and dance performances, and small art exhibitions. However, the focus is always on gastronomy: local restaurateurs serve their classics (Maultaschen, lentils with Spätzle and Saitenwurst, Zwiebelrostbraten), small mobile stalls offer international snacks, accompanied by wine spritzers, beer, and cocktails.

Last Weekend Before the Summer Holidays

The date is the program: the last weekend of July, shortly before the start of the Baden-Württemberg summer holidays. For many Stuttgart residents, the Bohnenviertel Festival is the unofficial start of summer – meeting all friends one last time, enjoying the good weather before the city empties out for a few weeks. This function makes the festival special: it is both tradition and meeting point.

Traffic-Calmed, Easily Accessible

The Bohnenviertel is optimally connected to Stuttgart's city center by subway and bus. The Stadtbahn (light rail) stop Charlottenplatz is directly on the northern edge of the district, and Rathaus and Leonhardsplatz are also just a few minutes' walk away. During the festival, the district is largely car-free.