51st Freiburg Spring Fair

Freiburg Spring Fair — Southern Baden's largest amusement park

For over fifty years, the Freiburg Spring Fair has been the largest Volksfest and amusement park in southern Baden-Württemberg. In 2026, its 51st edition will run from May 14th to 25th — twelve days of Ferris wheel, Wilde Maus, bumper cars, family carousels, barbecue stands, and sweets at the Neuen Messplatz in Freiburg. The event is organized by FWTM — Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH, responsible for the city's event organization.

Over 100 showmen — three generations of Volksfest

The 2026 Spring Fair will bring over 111 showmen and market vendors to Freiburg. The offerings range from classic roller coasters to a Ferris wheel, a high-flying carousel, and children's rides like the mule carousel and the chain carousel. In addition, there will be hundreds of stalls selling almond pastries, crêpes, food stalls with Black Forest sausage and ham specialties, craft stands, and the obligatory Schwarzwälder Magenbrot.

Opening and atmosphere

On the opening day, Thursday, May 14th, the fairgrounds will open their gates to the public at 2 PM. The official ceremony with the tapping of the keg will take place on Friday, May 15th, 2026, at 7 PM in front of the Ferris wheel — conducted by Mayor Martin Horn and FWTM Managing Director Katharina Schirmbeck. This will be followed by twelve days of festivities with weekend highlights, family days with reduced prices, and a final fireworks display on the last weekend.

Freiburg im Breisgau

With around 235,000 inhabitants, Freiburg im Breisgau is the fourth-largest city in Baden-Württemberg and the state's sunniest capital — located at the transition from the Rhine Valley to the Black Forest. The fair takes place on the Neuen Messplatz in the Brühl district, the exhibition grounds of Messe Freiburg (also the location of Plaza Culinaria, Concord, etc.). With its twelve days, the fair is a fixed date in the spring calendar for many Freiburg residents and visitors from the tri-border area of Germany, France, and Switzerland.

Families and atmosphere

The Spring Fair is explicitly family-friendly: children's carousels and reduced family days with interactive activities during the day; in the evening, the Ferris wheel becomes a postcard backdrop with views of the Münster and the Black Forest. The grounds are directly accessible from the city center via tram lines U1/U2 (stop: Messe) — fair visitors do not need to bring a car.