Burning Beach Festival

From the Franconian Lake to Beach Paradise

The Brombachsee in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district is part of the Fränkische Seenland (Franconian Lake District), a water management project initiated in the 1980s with several large reservoirs. Today, it is one of the most popular swimming lakes in Southern Germany – and the venue for one of Germany's most unusual festival concepts. The Burning Beach Festival uses the wide sandy beach at the Seezentrum Pleinfeld as its festival grounds: a real beach, with real sand, real water, and an atmosphere reminiscent of the Mediterranean – only you're in Middle Franconia.

Four Stages, Three Styles

The festival covers the entire spectrum of electronic music, dividing the program into three main styles: House, Techno, and Goa. Four stages are spread across the Seezentrum, with the Goa Stage traditionally set up a bit further away to separate its psychedelic atmosphere from the main beach. Over 80 acts perform across the three festival days.

Headliner Level 2026

The 2026 edition brings together some of the most important names in international electronic music: Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) – visionary, innovator, legend; Nina Kraviz, the Russian techno queen; Pan-Pot, the Berlin techno duo; Kölsch, a Dane with an emotional house sound; Kevin de Vries, Felix Kröcher, Space 92, Dominik Eulberg, KAS:ST, Karotte, Gregor Tresher, Andreas Henneberg, Anna Tur, Pan-Pot, Simina Grigoriu, Teenage Mutants, Jonas Saalbach, Tube & Berger – the list reads like a best-of of the international scene.

Atmosphere – “We Burn Together!”

The festival motto “We Burn Together!” refers to the organizers' Burning Man-inspired sense of community. Instead of an anonymous mass event, emphasis is placed on community, awareness, and a friendly atmosphere. The beach offers sun loungers, water access, food stalls with international cuisine, and a dedicated camping zone right by the lake.

Pleinfeld and the Franconian Lake District

Pleinfeld, with around 7,500 inhabitants, is a small market town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district. The Franconian Lake District, with Brombachsee, Altmühlsee, and Kleiner Brombachsee, is one of Bavaria's most important summer destinations. Visitors to Burning Beach often combine the festival with a week of beach, cycling, or hiking holidays.

A Different Kind of Festival

Burning Beach differs from typical open-air festivals in Germany through its beach character. It's not the weather-extreme Wacken, not the urban Melt, not the indie hustle: it's an electronic festival that looks like it was imported from Ibiza – with Franconian bratwurst instead of paella, but otherwise very similar.