Galgenberg Festival Aalen

Industrial backdrop instead of concert hall

The Galgenberg Festival in Aalen is one of the most distinctive open-air stages in East Württemberg. The event takes place at the old gasometer at Hirschbachstraße 14 — a decommissioned industrial monument on the edge of Aalen's old town. The atmosphere between the riveted steel tanks, the brickwork, and the green Galgenberg hillside is what makes the festival so appealing: not an ordinary concert, but a summer evening in an industrial patio.

25 years of Galgenberg — a юбилей edition

In 2026, the Kulturfreunde Galgenberg e.V. association is celebrating the 25th edition of the festival — started in the early 2000s as a small neighborhood festival, the event has developed into a fixture in the festival calendar of the Ostalbkreis (AGS 08136) over two decades. It is supported by a volunteer association, and the proceeds flow entirely into cultural work and the preservation of the venue.

Two evenings, two moods

The Galgenberg concept focuses on two clearly distinct festival evenings. Friday "Der Freitag" is traditionally dedicated to the local scene — in 2026, the Vereinsorchester, an Aalen All-Star band made up of well-known musicians from local bands, will perform. This is a local pride evening with cult status: many listeners still know the musicians from their school and club bands. Saturday "Der Samstag" brings supra-regional acts to the festival beat — in 2026, with the Aalen indie band Long Lost Radio, the German-Iranian singer-songwriter Mina Richman from Berlin, and the Viennese Austropop veteran Norbert Schneider.

Ostalbkreis and Aalen

Aalen, with around 68,000 inhabitants, is the district town of the Ostalbkreis in Baden-Württemberg — a Limes city and UNESCO World Heritage site, a former imperial city, and today the location of the Aalen University of Applied Sciences. The city center lies at the transition from the Swabian Jura to the foothills; the Galgenberg overlooks the city center to the south. The festival marks the highlight of the cultural summer for many Aalen residents.

Atmosphere and catering

The festival grounds feature beer benches, a covered stage, and several catering stands run by association members — wood-fired pizza, bratwurst, vegan burgers, and grilled items. Draft beverages from a regional brewery. Admission for children under 12 is free — the festival is explicitly designed as a family event. The show goes on, rain or shine.