Hückeswagen Old Town Festival

Hückeswagen Old Town Festival — Bergisches Festival in the Slate Old Town

When Hückeswagen celebrates its Old Town Festival on the second weekend in September, thousands of visitors from the entire Oberbergischer Kreis and beyond flock to the Bergisches slate town. In 2026, the festival will take place on Saturday, September 12th, and Sunday, September 13th — the biggest party in Hückeswagen's city center, organized by the city and supported by Hückeswagen's clubs, restaurateurs, and business association.

Slate Old Town — The Scenery Makes the Festival

What makes the Old Town Festival special is its setting: Hückeswagen's old town is one of the best-preserved slate architecture ensembles in the Bergisches Land. Slate-roofed houses, half-timbered facades, narrow alleys, the historic Hückeswagen Castle on the outskirts, and the Etapler Platz as the historic market square provide a festival backdrop that needs no staging. Illuminated at night, it creates an almost fairytale-like image — rarely have so many small stages had so much city history as their backdrop.

Program — Stages, Clubs, Culinary Delights

The program is spread throughout the old town:

• Main Stage at Etapler Platz with live music (cover bands, Bergisches Schlager acts, rock covers)
• Several smaller stages in the side streets with acoustic concerts and singer-songwriter performances
• Club Mile of Hückeswagen's clubs — Karneval (carnival), sports, fire brigade, scouts, Schützen (marksmen's clubs)
• Gastronomic stalls from Hückeswagen's restaurants with Bergisches cuisine (Bergische Kaffeetafel, Pottkesselssuppe, Mettwurst specialties)
• International stalls — Italian, Greek, Turkish, Asian cuisine
• Craft Market with jewelry, ceramics, textiles
• Showman area with children's carousels, candy stalls, shooting galleries

Exhibitor Registration — Until June 30th, 2026

The registration process for exhibitors (clubs, restaurateurs, craftspeople, market vendors) runs until June 30th, 2026. The City of Hückeswagen coordinates stand allocation, provides electricity, water, and waste disposal connections, and sets the stand prices. The process is transparent via the city portal.

Bergisches Identity — What the Old Town Festival Achieves

Hückeswagen is located in the Oberbergischer Kreis, which in turn suffers from the economic structural changes in the textile and slate industries. City festivals like the Old Town Festival are more than just entertainment in this context — they are anchors of identity that strengthen the self-confidence of the Bergisches Land. When the people of Hückeswagen celebrate their old town on this September weekend, they signal at the same time: we are not just a commuter town north of Cologne, we are a vibrant Bergisches medium-sized city with its own culture. The Old Town Festival is part of Regionale 2025, a structural development initiative for the Bergisches Land.

Hückeswagen — Bergisches Castle Town

The town of Hückeswagen, with its approximately 15,000 inhabitants, is located in the Oberbergischer Kreis on the heights between the Wupper and the Bever Dam. Known for Hückeswagen Castle (now the town hall and registry office, picturesquely perched above the old town), the slate architecture of the town center, the Bever Dam (hiking, boat trips, water sports), and the Hückeswagen Bach-Anlage as a landscape landmark. Sports, hiking, and water sports tourism are economic pillars alongside medium-sized industry. The main events in the calendar are the Old Town Festival, the Hückeswagen Marksmen's Festival, the Hückeswagen Spring Festival, and the Hückeswagen Igloo Magic Christmas Market.