Cityfest Oberhausen

Cityfest Oberhausen — the city center celebrates itself

The Cityfest is the traditional autumn festival of the Oberhausen city center—for three days, Alt-Oberhausen transforms from Altmarkt to Saarstraße into a continuous festival mile. The organizers are Oh! Stadtmagazin together with CityO. Management e. V., the business association of the Oberhausen city center. For 2026, Sunday shopping is announced for September 27, 2026, with the full program running the weekend before.

Program: three days, three focuses

The division of the Cityfest into three thematic days has been proven for years:

• Friday (Opening) — Showmen and food trucks open at noon. Chain carousel, children's train, and several children's carousels on Marktstraße. Opening with local bands.
• Saturday (Club Day) — Oberhausen's clubs show what they can do: cheerleaders, dance groups, football demonstrations, show acts on the stage at Altmarkt.
• Sunday (Family Day) — Circus theater, Bubble Art, interactive circus, music. Shops are open from 1 PM to 6 PM (Sunday shopping).

Craft Market and Classic Car Exhibition

Throughout the weekend, a craft market with exhibitors from the Ruhr area runs on Marktstraße—woodwork, jewelry, ceramics, regional food products. A local Oberhausen classic car club organizes a classic car exhibition on a separate area: American land yachts, German classics from the 1960s and 70s, plus a few motorcycles.

Alt-Oberhausen — the city center with industrial DNA

Oberhausen, with around 210,000 inhabitants, is one of the largest cities in the western Ruhr area (North Rhine-Westphalia), carrying the memory of the steel and coal era to this day—the Gasometer silhouette is its landmark. Alt-Oberhausen refers to the original city core around the main train station, Marktstraße, and Altmarkt—separated from the later developed district of Sterkrade and the CentrO area in the New City Center. The Cityfest consciously strengthens the city center as a place for shopping and meeting, positioning itself as a family-friendly neighborhood festival with a clear local connection.

Sunday Shopping

Sunday shopping on the last day of the festival (1–6 PM) is an important sales boost for the Oberhausen city center. Business owners in the Marktstraße/Altmarkt/Saarstraße area open their doors—combined with the stage program and the showmen, a real Sunday atmosphere is created.