Name: Goldbach Festival of Lights 2026
Start: 2026-08-23T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-08-23T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Stadtteil Goldbach

Lichterfest Goldbach

About Lichterfest Goldbach

The Goldbach Festival of Lights in Crailsheim is one of the oldest and most atmospheric light festivals in Baden-Württemberg. Since 1963, around 35,000 colourful lights transform the Goldbach district of Crailsheim into a fantastically luminous world on a Saturday evening at the end of August. You stroll through a village where every front garden becomes a stage: residents illuminate their entrances, trees, and gardens with lanterns, candles, and fairy lights, creating an atmospheric Gesamtkunstwerk. Food and drinks, family activities, and a special evening ambiance have made this festival a traditional event in the Hohenlohe-Franken region for over six decades.

Dates 23 Aug — 23 Aug 2026

Venue Crailsheim (08127)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Lichterfest Goldbach — edition 2026

The 63rd Goldbach Festival of Lights takes place on Sunday, August 23, 2026, in the Goldbach district of Crailsheim. Around 35,000 colourful lights, illuminated front gardens, and house entrances transform the village into a fantastically luminous world after dark. Catering stands, family activities, and musical accompaniment by local clubs. Organiser: Goldbacher Tradition e.V. Free admission.

The 63rd edition of the Goldbach Festival of Lights will take place on Sunday, August 23, 2026, in the Goldbach district of Crailsheim. As since 1963, the residents of Goldbach illuminate their front gardens, entrances, and trees with around 35,000 colourful lights, lanterns, and candles, creating a village-wide collaborative work of art.

The festival begins in the late afternoon with catering and the family programme. The actual highlight of the Festival of Lights is reached after dark (from approx. 8:30 PM), when the tens of thousands of lights unfold their full effect. The organiser, as always, is Goldbacher Tradition e.V.

Highlights Lichterfest Goldbach 2026

63rd edition since 1963 — over six decades of tradition
Approx. 35,000 colourful lights, lanterns, and candles
Front gardens as stages — each resident illuminates their own area
Free admission, climax after dark
Family programme and regional specialities

Programme Lichterfest Goldbach 2026

Sunday, August 23, 2026 — Goldbach District

Daytime — from late afternoon

Opening of the catering stands along the main street
Sausages, fries, Swabian-Franconian specialities
Beer, wine, coffee, and cake
Children's programme and hands-on activities for families
Performances by local music clubs and bands

Evening — from dark (approx. 8:30 PM)

Highlight: Activation of approx. 35,000 lights
Illuminated front gardens, house entrances, and trees throughout Goldbach
Stroll through the illuminated village
Light installations by residents as a Gesamtkunstwerk
Atmospheric musical accompaniment

Night

Festival of Lights runs late into the night
Festival winding down at the catering stands

An official opening with representatives from the city of Crailsheim and the organiser Goldbacher Tradition e.V. will inaugurate the festival. The exact start time and programme details will be published on goldbacher-lichterfest.de as well as in the event calendar of the city of Crailsheim.

Prices Lichterfest Goldbach 2026

Free admission. Food and drinks are sold at the catering stands along the main street. Proceeds go to the club and festival work of Goldbacher Tradition e.V.

Practical information

Practical information — Lichterfest Goldbach

Getting There

Goldbach is located 3 km east of Crailsheim. By car: A6 exit Crailsheim, then B290 towards Ellwangen, follow signs for Goldbach. By train: To Crailsheim main station, then bus 27 towards Goldbach or by bike on the Jagst cycle path.

Admission

Free admission. Food and drinks are sold at the stands along the main street.

Good to Know

The highlight is the late evening after dark (from approx. 8:30 PM). Before the light spectacle, a walk through the village in daylight is recommended to see the preparations. Parking outside the village is recommended, as the streets in Goldbach will be closed. Arriving by bicycle or on foot from Crailsheim is advisable.

35,000 Lights and a Village That Glows

Three kilometres east of Crailsheim, at the transition from Hohenlohe to Frankenhöhe, lies the district of Goldbach — one of those villages that have retained their identity. Once a year, on a Saturday evening at the end of August, it becomes one of the most beautiful spectacles in southern Germany: the Goldbach Festival of Lights. Since 1963 — for over six decades — the residents of Goldbach have pooled their energy for a unique light installation, where around 35,000 colourful lights, lanterns, and candles transform the entire village into a luminous ballroom under the open sky.

Front Gardens as Stages

The concept is remarkably simple and all the more effective for it: each resident illuminates their own front garden, entrance, and yard according to their own taste — with lanterns, candles, fairy lights, lamps, and light sculptures. The people of Goldbach see this as both a competition and a community effort: concepts are developed, materials are sourced, and light installations are built over weeks. The result is a collaborative Gesamtkunstwerk that visitors can stroll through — from one illuminated scene to the next.

More Than Just Light

In addition to the magic of the lights, the festival offers a classic programme with catering stands along the main street: sausages, fries, Swabian specialities, regional beer, wine, coffee, and cake. For families, there are hands-on activities and children's programmes, accompanied by local music clubs and bands. The atmosphere is considerably more relaxed than at a traditional Volksfest (popular festival) — Goldbach is a family festival with a calm, almost meditative character, driven by the spectacle of light.

Crailsheim and Goldbach in Hohenlohe-Franken

Crailsheim, with around 34,000 inhabitants, is a central town in the Schwäbisch Hall district of Baden-Württemberg and the gateway to the Hohenlohe-Franken region. The Goldbach district is located three kilometres east of the town centre, at the transition to the Frankenhöhe. The region between Stuttgart and Nuremberg is known for its Franconian cuisine, wine, castles, and its cultural landscape that has evolved over centuries. The Goldbach Festival of Lights fits into a rich calendar of events — as the quiet, atmospheric summer festival that attracts the entire region yet retains its village charm.