Name: Klever Lichterfest 2026
Start: 2026-09-12T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-12T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Forstgarten Kleve

Lichterfest Kleve

About Lichterfest Kleve

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, the historic Forstgarten Kleve will transform into an illuminated park stage: hundreds of candles, light installations, live music on several stages, and a concluding baroque fireworks display will mark the 69th edition of the Klever Lichterfest. Free admission, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. One of the most atmospheric light events on the Lower Rhine, organized for over six decades by the economic development agency of the City of Kleve.

Dates 12 Sep — 12 Sep 2026

Venue Kleve (05154)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Lichterfest Kleve — edition 2026

The 69th edition of the Klever Lichterfest on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in the Forstgarten Kleve. Hundreds of candles, artistic light installations, live music on several stages, and the concluding baroque fireworks display around 10 PM. Free admission, 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Program 2026 — 69th Lichterfest in the Forstgarten

The 69th edition of the Klever Lichterfest on Saturday, September 12, 2026, follows the proven concept of the City of Kleve and WTM Kleve GmbH. The venue is the historic Forstgarten — a baroque garden transformed into an illuminated park stage for this one evening.

Schedule

6:30 PM — Opening. Entrances to the Forstgarten open for visitors
From 6:30 PM — First stage performances (acoustic / classical) as dusk falls
7:30 PM–9:30 PM — Main phase with live music on several stages (jazz, pop, classical) and full illumination of all light installations
Approx. 9:45 PM — Baroque fireworks display as the evening's highlight
10:00 PM — Conclusion and farewell

Culinary Delights

Culinary stands offering food and drinks (wine, beer, non-alcoholic options, regional specialties) are spread throughout the park. Bringing a picnic blanket is allowed and popular.

Highlights Lichterfest Kleve 2026

Baroque fireworks display concluding around 10 PM
Hundreds of candles and light installations in the baroque Forstgarten
Several live music stages, free admission

Programme Lichterfest Kleve 2026

Saturday, September 12, 2026 — Forstgarten Kleve

6:30 PM — Opening and admission
From 6:30 PM — Live music on the park stages (acoustic, classical, pop, jazz; full stage acts will be published by WTM Kleve shortly before the event)
Throughout the evening — illuminated paths and light installations in the baroque Forstgarten, hundreds of candles
Approx. 9:45 PM — Baroque fireworks display — the highlight
10:00 PM — End

The exact stage distribution and artist names for 2026 will be announced by WTM Kleve in August/September 2026 on kleve-erleben.de.

Prices Lichterfest Kleve 2026

Free admission. Food and drinks at stands in the park at standard market prices.

Practical information

Practical information — Lichterfest Kleve

Getting There

Forstgarten Kleve, entrances include Tiergartenstraße. Kleve train station (RE10 Düsseldorf–Kleve) is a 15-minute walk away. By car: A57 exit Goch/Kleve or A3 exit Wesel. Parking available at the Forstgarten and in the city center.

Admission

Free admission. Food and drinks at stands in the park at standard market prices.

Tip

Arrive early (from approx. 6:00 PM) to experience the light installations as dusk falls. Before the baroque fireworks around 10:00 PM, the central sightlines fill up quickly — secure a good spot by the pond or on the central meadow in time.

Klever Lichterfest — Six Decades of Park Romance

The Klever Lichterfest is one of the oldest and most traditional light events on the Lower Rhine. Since 1957, the historic Forstgarten Kleve has transformed once a year into an illuminated garden — a tribute to the baroque tradition of courtly light gardens. In 2026, the 69th edition will take place on Saturday, September 12, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Free admission.

Illuminations, Music, Baroque Fireworks

The concept combines light art with live music in a baroque park setting:

Hundreds of candles line the paths, water features, and meadows of the Forstgarten
Artistic light installations are strategically placed throughout the garden areas
Live music on several stages — a genre mix from classical to pop, jazz, and acoustic
Culinary stands offering food and drinks
Highlight: the grand baroque fireworks display shortly before 10:00 PM — the sky above Kleve will be bathed in color

Forstgarten Kleve — Historic Park of the Lower Rhine

The Forstgarten Kleve is one of the most significant park landscapes on the Lower Rhine and boasts a long history. Originally laid out as a baroque garden in the 17th century by Governor Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen, it today combines old tree stands, water features, sightlines, and the amphitheater to form one of the most impressive garden complexes in West Germany. The Lichterfest annually makes this historic character tangible and transports visitors back to the era of baroque court festivals.

Kleve — Lower Rhine Town on the Dutch Border

Kleve (approx. 50,000 inhabitants) is the district capital of the district of Kleve in the far west of North Rhine-Westphalia, directly on the border with the Netherlands. Characterized by a long past as the residential city of the Dukes of Cleves (with the Schwanenburg castle as its landmark), the city today offers a university, a vibrant city center, and its historic Forstgarten. The Lichterfest is one of the most popular events of the city's year, attracting visitors from the entire western Münsterland region, the Lower Rhine, and the neighboring Dutch provinces.