Bottrop Pub Night (Spring Edition)

Bottrop Pub Night — The City Center as a Stage

Looking for a format that doesn't need a big festival field, no entry gates, and no €70 tickets? The Bottrop Pub Night is one of the finest examples of a decentralized, urban music festival that thrives on the power of the local economy. Since 2002, Bottrop has transformed twice a year — in spring and autumn — into an open-air live stage city for one night. The 23rd spring edition takes place on March 21, 2026.

How Does It Work?

You buy a single ticket (pre-sale €15, box office €18). With it, you have access to all 15 participating locations all evening long. Each pub features a different band — from cover rock to soul, jazz, country, and Schlager. You can switch between venues as you please, spending 20 to 30 minutes in each bar or staying with your favorite band all night. All locations are within walking distance — the entire event takes place within a radius of a few hundred meters in Bottrop's city center.

Opening at Kulturkirche Heilig Kreuz

The opening traditionally takes place at 6 PM in the Kulturkirche Heilig Kreuz at Scharnhölzstraße 33 — a former Catholic church now used as a venue. The band „Relate" delivers the first performance there. From 10 PM, the 15 other venues on Gladbecker Straße, Kirchhellener Straße, Blumenstraße, Osterfelder Straße, Adolf-Kolping-Straße, Berliner Platz, and Horster Straße open their doors for the bands.

15 Locations, 15 Bands

The exact lineup is traditionally published about a week before the event by „Wir lieben Bottrop" as the media partner. The spectrum includes classic pubs, brewery taprooms, tapas bars, a restaurant with a backroom stage, and several live music clubs. The bands come from Bottrop, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Recklinghausen, and the wider Ruhr area — a true stage for the regional cover band scene.

Tickets at Lotto Shops

A special feature of the Bottrop Pub Night: Sales are not through Eventim or Reservix, but through the Bottrop Lotto shops. The concept dates back to the early years and has been maintained to this day — a deliberate local anchoring. Tickets are available at the box office at the participating venues or at the entrance of the Kulturkirche.

Bottrop and the Ruhr Area

Bottrop is an independent city in the administrative region of Münster, on the northern edge of the Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia — a medium-sized city with around 117,000 inhabitants. The city center around Berliner Platz and Adolf-Kolping-Straße is manageable and ideal for a decentralized bar-hopping format. Bottrop is easily accessible via the A2, A31, and by train from Essen/Gladbeck — many visitors come from nearby Essen, Gladbeck, and Oberhausen.