Friedenfelser Herbstfest with Beer Hiking Day

Tradition since 1986

Friedenfels is a market town in the Tirschenreuth district in the northern Upper Palatinate, a gem on the edge of the Steinwald Nature Park. The town is primarily known for the Schlossbrauerei Friedenfels, a traditional private brewery in the Upper Palatinate, whose Helles and Dunkles are appreciated far beyond the region. Since 1986, the brewery, together with the Friedenfels clubs, has been organizing the Herbstfest mit Bierwandertag (Autumn Festival with Beer Hiking Day) — a two-day folk festival that only paused in 2020 and 2021 due to Corona.

Festival Tent at Kolpingplatz

The heart of the festival is the large festival tent around the brewery at Kolpingplatz. Here, the Friedenfels specialties — Hellbräu and Dunkelbräu — are served fresh from the tap. What has made the festival famous in the region: the sensationally low beer prices. Traditionally, €1.50 is charged per Maß (liter mug), and half-liters for €1.00 — a price that seems like from another era compared to modern folk festival prices and has secured the brewery's reputation for a people-friendly beer festival for decades.

The Beer Hiking Day

The actual trademark of the festival, however, is the Bierwandertag (Beer Hiking Day) on Sunday. Starting as early as 7 a.m. (!), hikers set off from the festival tent on a route that leads through the Steinwald Nature Park — one of the most wooded and quiet low mountain landscapes in Bavaria. The hiking pass is sold directly in the festival tent. Supply points with Friedenfelser beer and small snacks await at several stations along the route — this turns the hike into a convivial experience where one can enjoy the Steinwald nature and the Upper Palatinate brewing tradition at the same time.

Club Life and Festival Catering

The Herbstfest would not be conceivable without the Friedenfelser Vereine (Friedenfels clubs): the fire department, soldiers' association, young men's association, youth bands, shooting club, and many others take over catering and event services. This volunteer energy and the close integration with the brewery make the festival a true community event and secure important income for the clubs' youth work.

Taste of the Upper Palatinate

Anyone who visits the Friedenfelser Herbstfest experiences the unmistakable hospitality of the Upper Palatinate: honest bratwurst, Schäufele (pork shoulder), Knöchla (pork knuckle), accompanied by the smooth Hellbräu, live music in the evening with brass bands and party bands, with the clear mountain air of the Steinwald Nature Park above the festival tent. The Beer Hiking Day makes the festival unique — a combination of folk festival, nature experience, and brewing tradition that is unparalleled in Bavaria.