Name: Dorffest Ratekau 2026
Start: 2026-08-29T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-08-30T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Dorfplatz Ratekau

Dorffest Ratekau

About Dorffest Ratekau

The Dorffest Ratekau is the largest civic event in the municipality of Ostholstein district (Schleswig-Holstein). On August 29 and 30, 2026, the entire village will once again be involved: a large parade through the streets on Saturday, program on two stages at the village square, live music with Jaybee and "The Indispensables", and a morning pint with live music by the "Gnisse(e)bären" on Sunday. The festival takes place every two years in even-numbered years — a tradition of the municipality on Hemmelsdorfer See near Lübeck, maintained for decades.

Dates 29 Aug — 30 Aug 2026

Venue Ratekau (01055)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Dorffest Ratekau — edition 2026

The Dorffest Ratekau 2026 takes place on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30. Parade from 2:00 PM from Blüchereiche, opening at the village square at 3:00 PM. Saturday evening: Jaybee (from 6:30 PM) and The Indispensables (9:00 PM to midnight). Sunday: Morning pint with "Gnisse(e)bären" from 11:00 AM.

The 2026 edition continues the biennial tradition and uses the last weekend of August. The parade on Saturday at 2:00 PM has been the actual kick-off for decades — floats, clubs, music bands, and guests of honor march from the assembly point in Blüchereiche through Sereetzer Weg and Bäderstraße into Westring to Wilhelm-Rehpenn-Platz, where the official opening with Mayor Thomas Keller takes place around 3:00 PM.

On the two stages at the village square, live music, club performances, and children's entertainment follow. The musical highlight on Saturday evening is Jaybee with blues and rock numbers and "The Indispensables" with pop and rock hits from the last four decades. Sunday starts with the morning pint — the men's boy group "Gnisse(e)bären" provides the maritime songs of the Baltic Sea.

Highlights Dorffest Ratekau 2026

Large parade on Saturday at 2:00 PM; two stages at the village square; live music with Jaybee and The Indispensables; Sunday morning pint with Gnisse(e)bären; biennial tradition.

Programme Dorffest Ratekau 2026

Saturday, August 29, 2026

2:00 PM — Parade from assembly point Blüchereiche; Route Sereetzer Weg → Bäderstraße → Westring → Village Square
approx. 3:00 PM — Official opening at the village square (Mayor Thomas Keller / Deputy Gabi Spiller)
6:30 PM — Jaybee (Blues / Rock) — 2-hour set
9:00 PM — The Indispensables (Rock / Pop 80s to today) — until midnight
Accompanying: Club stalls, food stands, shooting gallery, children's program

Sunday, August 30, 2026

11:00 AM — Morning pint with live music
Gnisse(e)bären — Men's boy group with sea shanties, Schleswig-Holstein songs, and Irish songs
Family program and market stalls until the afternoon

Current program updates at ratekau.de/Gemeinde/Veranstaltungen/.

Prices Dorffest Ratekau 2026

Festival grounds free to enter. Food and drinks at usual market prices.

Practical information

Practical information — Dorffest Ratekau

Getting There

Train: to Bad Schwartau or Lübeck Hauptbahnhof, then by bus to Ratekau. Car: A1 exit Eutin / Bad Schwartau, then B76 to Ratekau-Zentrum. Parking is designated in the residential areas — the village square and main streets are closed on festival days.

Admission

Festival grounds free admission. Food and drinks at usual market prices. Concerts on the stages without a separate entrance fee.

Information

Current program overview at ratekau.de/Gemeinde/Veranstaltungen/ and in the "Dorfboten Ratekau" newsletter.

Ratekau — Municipality on the Edge of the Bay of Lübeck

Ratekau, with around 14,500 inhabitants, is one of the larger municipalities in the Ostholstein district. It is located between Lübeck and the Baltic Sea coast — a few kilometers from Hemmelsdorfer See and the Baltic seaside resort of Timmendorfer Strand. Several districts (Ratekau, Sereetz, Techau, Pansdorf) belong to the greater municipality, but the Dorffest Ratekau is clearly focused on the village center.

Tradition Every Two Years

The village festival takes place every two years in even-numbered years — a frequency that allows the municipality to organize a larger and more elaborate festival each time. The date is traditionally the last weekend of August. In 2026, the festival days will be Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30.

Parade as the Kick-off

The actual start of the festival is the parade on Saturday at 2:00 PM: from the assembly point in the street Blüchereiche, a procession of floats, clubs, music bands, and guests of honor — led by the municipal council and Mayor Thomas Keller with his deputy Gabi Spiller — moves along Sereetzer Weg and Bäderstraße into Westring to the village square (Wilhelm-Rehpenn-Platz). The official opening will take place there around 3:00 PM.

Program on Saturday and Sunday

On the two stages at the village square, the program alternates between live music, club performances, and children's entertainment:

Saturday from 6:30 PM — Jaybee with Blues to Rock (2 hours)
Saturday from 9:00 PM — The Indispensables with Rock and Pop from the 80s to today (until midnight)
Sunday from 11:00 AM — Morning pint with live music
Sunday — Performance by the "Gnisse(e)bären" Boy Group with sea shanties, Schleswig-Holstein songs, and Irish songs

Between the stages, stalls, a shooting gallery, children's activities, and traditional food combine to create the classic village festival atmosphere. The festival is organized jointly by the municipal council, the Ratekau clubs, and the fire department.