33rd Cottbus City Festival

Largest City Festival in Lusatia

The Cottbus City Festival is one of the largest free open-air festivals in Eastern Germany in terms of scale. From June 19th to 21st, 2026 — for its 33rd edition — the entire Cottbus city center will transform into a continuous festival mile. Six stages, over 80 caterers, international headliners, a Ferris wheel, a free-fall tower, carousels, rides — and all of this with free admission. The organizers are the City of Cottbus together with Stadtfest Cottbus GmbH; the festival starts daily at 3:00 PM.

Six Stages, Six Focuses

The Altmarkt — the historic heart of the city — will host the Schlager and 90s program stage with performances by Marie Reim, the "Venga Venga" party (90s/2000s hits), and the percussion show "Stamping Feet". Puschkinpark becomes an electronic playground: Dr. Motte (co-founder of the Berlin Love Parade) will perform on the "Spree x Neiße stage" ("Guben goes Cottbus", presented by NLaktuell and BB RADIO), along with the Cottbus rock band Kontrollverlust on Saturday with "sounds from games, films, series and animes", and Ross Anthony on Sunday. In front of the Oberkirche, at the UKA stage, the electronic focus will be with Lexy & K-Paul, HouseKaspeR, and Talla 2XLC — an open-air dance floor until late at night. Spremberger Straße, Stadthallenvorplatz, and Stadtbrunnen will host additional stages with local acts, cover bands, Sorbian-Wendish programs, and family formats.

Sorbian Roots, International Present

Cottbus is located in the settlement area of the Sorbs/Wends — a Slavic minority that has lived in Lower Lusatia since the 6th century. The City Festival cherishes this dual cultural identity: In Puschkinpark, there is a dedicated Sorbian-Wendish program with traditional music, dance groups, Sorbian costumes, and culinary specialties. Street names in the city center appear in two languages — German and Lower Sorbian. Visitors to the City Festival will get to know a minority culture that is rarely visible elsewhere in Germany.

Gastronomy, Rides, Laser Show

Over 80 caterers will set up along the festival mile: classics like bratwurst, fries, burgers, and beer, plus international stalls (Turkish, Vietnamese, Italian cuisine), regional Lusatian specialties (Knieperkohl, Lusatian sausages), cocktails, and coffee. Highlights among the rides include a 20-meter high free-fall tower, the Ferris wheel with views over Cottbus, the "Black Pearl" pirate ship, several carousels, and bumper cars. The absolute highlight on Sunday evening: the spectacular laser show in the Altmarkt and Puschkinpark.

Cottbus and its Festival Tradition

With approximately 99,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the second-largest city in Brandenburg and the economic and cultural center of Lower Lusatia. The City Festival was first celebrated in 1992 — as a symbol of regained city freedom after reunification — and has since developed into the "largest party in the South Brandenburg megaregion". Around 150,000 visitors from Cottbus, Lusatia, Berlin, and Poland are expected for the 33rd edition. Visitors should arrive by train (Cottbus main station is a 15-minute walk from the festival mile) — parking in the city center is scarce during the festival.