Name: Goch May Festival 2026
Start: 2026-05-03T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-03T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Innenstadt Goch

May Festival Goch

About May Festival Goch

Goch, a small town in the Lower Rhine region in the district of Kleve, celebrates its first major spring festival of the season with the Goch May Festival. On a Sunday in early May, the city centre transforms into a colourful festival mile with market stalls, food stands, live music, and a Sunday shopping event, during which shops open their doors without restrictions. Family activities, a spring atmosphere, and the typical Lower Rhine conviviality make the May Festival a regular fixture in Goch's event calendar. Organised by the Goch Business Association together with the city.

Dates 03 May — 03 May 2026

Venue Goch (05154)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

May Festival Goch — edition 2026

The Goch May Festival 2026 will take place on Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Goch city centre. A spring market with regional vendors, live music, family activities, and a Sunday shopping event with shops open without restrictions. Free admission.

The 2026 edition continues the concept as the spring kick-off by the Werbering Goch. Shops, the Werbering, and the city are working together on a family day with a market character.

Highlights May Festival Goch 2026

Sunday shopping throughout the entire city centre
Spring market with regional vendors
Live music and family programme
Lower Rhine specialities to try
Completely free admission

Programme May Festival Goch 2026

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Morning: Opening of the May Festival in the city centre
Market stalls with regional vendors (bakers, butchers, farmers, beekeepers, farm cheese)
Food stands with Lower Rhine specialities (potato pancakes, bratwurst, Krintenstuten)
Live music (acoustic acts, spring brass bands)
Family programme: face painting, small carousel, play activities
Cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating
Sunday shopping with shops open without restrictions

More info: stadt-io.guide.

Prices May Festival Goch 2026

Admission is completely free. Market sales and food are charged individually. Purchases during Sunday shopping are at the shop's prices.

Practical information

Practical information — May Festival Goch

Getting There

By car: A57 (Goch / Asperden), 5 min. to the centre. By train: Goch station (RE10 from Düsseldorf, RB31 from Krefeld), 5 min. walk.

Admission

Completely free. Market stalls, food, and drinks are charged individually. Sunday shopping with shops open without restrictions.

Opening Hours

Sunday, May 3, 2026, typically 11:00 AM–6:00 PM. Exact times will be announced on werberinggoch.de and stadt-io.guide.

Shops

City centre shops open on Sunday as part of the Sunday shopping event (detailed times vary by shop, many 1 PM–6 PM).

Contact

Werbering Goch (reachable via Facebook werberinggoch).

Goch on the Lower Rhine

Goch is a small town with about 35,000 inhabitants in the district of Kleve, in the far west of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the Dutch border. Known for the St. Maria Magdalena Church, the historic Stone Gate, the Galloholländer Monument (history of Dutch tobacco workers), and its proximity to Nijmegen and Cleves. A typical Lower Rhine town: flat, friendly, with historical tradition, a small town centre, and strong connections to the Netherlands.

The May Festival as a Spring Kick-off

The Goch May Festival has been the first major event of the warmer season for years. On a Sunday in early May, the city centre – specifically the pedestrian zone and adjacent squares – transforms into a festival mile. Market stalls with regional foods, food stands with bratwurst, potato pancakes, and Lower Rhine specialities (Krintenstuten, Lower Rhine sweets, potato pancakes with apple sauce), live music with acoustic acts and spring brass bands, family activities with face painting and a carousel.

Sunday Shopping

The highlight for Goch's retail sector is the Sunday shopping event: all shops in the city centre open their doors without restrictions on Sunday. For the members of the Business Association, this is an important day in the annual calendar, allowing them to present their spring and summer collections and engage directly with customers. Cafés and restaurants also use the day for special offers and outdoor seating.

Lower Rhine Conviviality

The May Festival benefits from the typical Lower Rhine atmosphere: small-town familiarity, many encounters with acquaintances and neighbours, a relaxed pace. Those who want to experience the Lower Rhine lifestyle outside of big cities will find a concentrated version here. Dutch visitors from Nijmegen, Groesbeek, and Berg en Dal regularly come to Goch – the German-Dutch encounter in a small format shapes the town's image.

Discover Goch

Anyone visiting Goch for the May Festival can also explore the historic city centre with the Stone Gate, the St. Maria Magdalena Church, the Local History Museum, and take a walk along the Niers river. Schloss Moyland, with its famous Joseph Beuys collection, is 15 minutes away – combining the May Festival with a visit to the Beuys collection is a recommended day trip.