51. Ladenburger Altstadtfest 2026

One of Baden-Württemberg's most traditional city festivals

For 51 editions, the Ladenburger Altstadtfest has been one of the most prominent city festivals in Baden-Württemberg. The venue is the historic city centre of Ladenburg — one of Germany's oldest cities, founded as Roman Lopodunum and also the birthplace of Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile. The combination of Roman history, medieval city core, and inventor history gives the festival a special background. In 2026, the 51st edition will take place from September 11th to 13th, 2026.

Extended Opening Hours 2026

The city of Ladenburg has significantly extended the opening hours for 2026 — a response to the high visitor numbers of previous editions:

• Friday, September 11th, 2026 — 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM
• Saturday, September 12th, 2026 — 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM
• Sunday, September 13th, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

This extension gives both visitors and the over 50 participating clubs more scope for performances and catering.

Over 50 Clubs in the Historic Alleys

More than 50 clubs from Ladenburg set up stalls, catering, and programme points. They are spread throughout the narrow alleys and squares of the historic city centre — an extraordinary spatial arrangement that turns the medieval cityscape into a festival backdrop. Sports, music, fire brigade, religious, and cultural clubs share the catering stalls; each alley has its own focus.

Four Large Stages

Four main stages are spread across the city centre:

• Marktplatz — central stage with the most prominent programme
• Rock@Church in the Protestant Pfarrgarten — rock and pop concerts in front of the church
• Gockelsmarkt — another open-air stage
• Dalberg-Grundschule — schoolyard stage

The musical spectrum ranges from jazz and rock to pop and electronic dance music, as well as traditional German folk music — performed by local and regional bands. This variety of stages makes it easy for visitors to stroll between venues according to their taste.

Approx. 400 Flea Market Stalls

A special feature of the festival is the large flea market with approx. 400 stalls, which extends throughout the entire city centre — an extraordinary density for a town of 11,700 inhabitants. There is also a free children's flea market on the basketball court, where young sellers can sell, swap, or give away toys, books, clothes, and bicycles without prior registration — a well-thought-out community initiative.

Ladenburg — Lopodunum, Roman Roots, and Carl Benz

Ladenburg is located on the Neckar river, approx. 12 km northeast of Mannheim in the Rhein-Neckar district. With around 11,700 inhabitants, it is one of the smaller towns in the district, but culturally and historically one of the most important in Germany: founded as Roman Lopodunum (1st/2nd century), one of the largest Roman settlements east of the Rhine. In the Middle Ages, Ladenburg was a bishop's city of the Worms diocese. Carl Benz lived his final years here and developed a large part of his inventions in Ladenburg. Today, the Carl Benz House shapes the city's tourist identity.