Kulturnacht Ulm/Neu-Ulm

The Night of Culture — Season Kick-off of the Twin City

When over 100 cultural venues open their doors simultaneously in Ulm and Neu-Ulm on a September Saturday and the program runs late into the night, it's Kulturnacht. In 2026, the 26th Kulturnacht takes place on Saturday, September 19. It officially marks the opening of the cultural season in the twin city — the moment when, after the summer, new seasons, exhibitions, and programs begin, presenting themselves to the public as a unified movement.

What You Can Imagine

On a single evening, the following run in parallel:

• Theater — Theater Ulm, Wilhelmsburg Theater, independent stages with special performances
• Museums — Museum Ulm, Kunsthalle Weishaupt, Donau-Schwäbisches Zentralmuseum, Stadthaus, Edwin-Scharff-Museum in Neu-Ulm — all with special guided tours and live programs
• Galleries and Studios — over 30 off-spaces showcase current artists, many with opening receptions
• Music Clubs — concerts at Sauschdall, Eden Club, Roxy, Club Schwoaza Krea
• Churches — Ulmer Münster and smaller churches with organ music, choir concerts
• Stadthaus — special exhibitions and live acts on the main stage
• Cultural Centers — Roxy, Eden, Sauschdall with unusual programs

A total of around 500 cultural creators present their work — actors, singers, visual artists, DJs, dancers, comedians, performance artists.

One Ticket for Everything

The Kulturnacht ticket is the brilliant concept: €14 in advance (€16 at the box office), €12 reduced fare (€12) — it grants access to all over 100 venues. Those who organize well can experience 8 to 12 different program points in one evening. The idea: a low entry barrier for high-quality culture. Children and young people under 16 have free admission to all events.

Registration Phase for Cultural Creators

From April 11 to May 17, 2026, the registration phase for cultural creators is open — theaters, galleries, associations, studios, and individual artists can apply to participate in the program. This open platform structure is the secret to Kulturnacht: it's not a city administration that curates the program, but the cultural scene itself that fills the format with its own ideas.

Shuttle and Movement

The venues are spread throughout the entire city center of Ulm, the Fischerviertel, Neue Straße, and the Danube side in Neu-Ulm. You walk across the Danube bridges between the two city areas, and shuttle buses provide free special transport between the main points. Usable with the Kulturnacht ticket.

Ulm and Neu-Ulm — The Twin City

Ulm is located in Baden-Württemberg on the Danube, directly opposite Neu-Ulm in Bavaria — together a twin city of around 180,000 inhabitants, divided by the state border and the Danube. Ulm is known for the Münster with the world's tallest church tower (161.53 m), the university, the Albert Einstein birthplace, and the Fischerviertel old town. Kulturnacht is one of the few formats that consistently involves both cities together — a statement against the separation of the twin city by the state border.