Name: Kirchweih Wachenroth 2026
Start: 2026-10-15T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-10-19T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Marktplatz und Festzeltgelände Wachenroth

Wachenrother Kerwa

About Wachenrother Kerwa

The Wachenrother Kerwa is the traditional autumn Kirchweih (harvest festival) of the market town of Wachenroth in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district. For five days, from October 15th to 19th, 2026, the market square will be transformed into a festival ground with a festival tent, market stalls, carousels, and Franconian hospitality. The festival is organized by the Kerwasburschen und -madli Wachenroth — one of Franconia's vibrant Kerwa societies, whose white-and-blue traditional costumes and Kerwa songs carry the tradition from generation to generation. Wachenroth — located on the edge of the Steigerwald Nature Park — offers an authentic piece of Upper Franconian Kerwa culture, celebrating its format for five days instead of the usual three.

Dates 15 Oct — 19 Oct 2026

Venue Wachenroth (09572)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Wachenrother Kerwa — edition 2026

The Wachenrother Kerwa 2026 will be celebrated from Thursday, October 15th, to Monday, October 19th, 2026, at the market square and festival tent grounds. Five days of Kerwa with a festival tent, Franconian catering, market stalls, and carousels — organized by the Kerwasburschen and -madli Wachenroth.

The date October 15–19, 2026, is confirmed by the event calendar of the Erlangen-Höchstadt district: erlangen-hoechstadt.de — Kirchweihen.

The full daily program will be published by the Kerwasburschen und -madli Wachenroth shortly before the Kerwa. The format follows the classic Franconian pattern with five days instead of three or four — a Wachenroth specialty.

Highlights Wachenrother Kerwa 2026

Five-day Kerwa variant, festival tent with Franconian catering, Kerwasburschen and -madli in traditional costume, market stalls and carousels at the market square.

Programme Wachenrother Kerwa 2026

Program Outline Wachenrother Kerwa 2026

The detailed program schedule will be published by the Kerwasburschen und -madli Wachenroth shortly before the Kerwa. Based on previous editions, the following schedule can be expected:

Thursday, October 15, 2026 — Opening with beer tapping at the festival tent
Friday, October 16, 2026 — Festival tent operation with dancing and music
Saturday, October 17, 2026 — Full festival tent operation, Kerwa pole, market stalls, carousels
Sunday, October 18, 2026 — Festive church service, morning pint, family day
Monday, October 19, 2026 — Kerwamontag (Kerwa Monday) with dancing and festival tent closing

Current information: kerwasburschen-wachenroth.de.

Prices Wachenrother Kerwa 2026

Free admission. Food, drinks, and carousel rides payable on site.

Practical information

Practical information — Wachenrother Kerwa

Getting there

By car via the A 3 (Pommersfelden exit) — Wachenroth is accessible via Höchstadt. Around a 30-minute drive or by bus from Erlangen or Forchheim train station.

Admission

Market square, festival tent, and festival grounds are freely accessible. Food, drinks, and carousel rides are payable on site.

Accommodation

Guesthouses and inns in Wachenroth, Höchstadt, and Pommersfelden. Larger selection in Erlangen and Bamberg.

Five-day Kerwa according to Franconian tradition

The Wachenrother Kerwa, with its five-day format, falls outside the usual framework: while most Franconian Kirchweihen celebrate for three or four days, the Wachenroth festival lasts from Thursday to Monday. The venue is the market square and the festival tent area of the market community. Market stalls, carousels, and the festival tent with Franconian catering shape the scene.

Kerwasburschen and Kerwasmadli

The Kerwa is organized by the Kerwasburschen und -madli Wachenroth. The young men and women of the village, organized in their own Kerwa society, wear the Franconian traditional costume — white blouses, blue vests, traditional hats — and organize the festival parades, Kerwa poles, and Kerwa songs. This "Burschen" tradition is a significant identifier of Upper and Middle Franconian Kirchweih culture.

Wachenroth and the Steigerwald

Wachenroth is a market town with around 1,700 inhabitants in the Erlangen-Höchstadt district, Middle Franconia administrative region (on the border with Upper Franconia), Bavaria state. The market town is located on the western edge of the Steigerwald Nature Park — a wooded low mountain range famous for its viticulture and beech forests. Its location between Bamberg (approx. 30 km north), Erlangen (25 km east), and Würzburg (60 km west) makes Wachenroth a quiet yet easily accessible center of a rich Kerwa culture.

What makes the Wachenrother Kerwa special

The five-day duration is not just a statistic — it changes the atmosphere. While three-day Kerwas are often compressed into a weekend with great effort, the Wachenrother Kerwa can flow more calmly. Thursday opening with beer tapping, Friday with dancing, Saturday with full festival tent operation, Sunday with a festive church service and family day, Monday with a winding down. It is the Franconian autumn festival in its cozy version.