Lippstadt Pub Festival

Lippstadt — Old Town, Hellweg, Hanse

Lippstadt, with almost 68,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in the Soest district and lies on the eastern edge of the Sauerland region, on the Lippe river. The historic old town — founded in 1185, one of Westphalia's oldest planned civic cities — has retained a remarkable density of owner-operated pubs, shops, and artisan workshops. This density is the prerequisite for a format that wouldn't work in many large cities: The Pub Festival, where the entire old town becomes a continuous concert mile.

The Concept — 18 Bands, 20 Locations, One Wristband

The festival principle is simple: Anyone who buys a festival wristband gets access to all 20 locations for the entire evening. A band plays in each — live music all night long in close proximity, with the option to switch from one stage to another at any time. If you don't like a band, you go to the next pub; if you have a favourite pub and favourite band, you stay; if you want to experience festival hopping, you wander through the old town. The organizers held the first edition of this format in 2025, and the success was so great that the 2026 edition has been sold out for weeks.

The Locations — Pubs Plus Surprises

The unique aspect of the Lippstadt version: Not only classic gastronomy locations serve as stages. Participating in 2026:

• Classic pubs and restaurants in the city centre — regulars' haunts, brewery taprooms, small restaurants
• Launderette — a real Lippstadt laundry becomes a concert stage for one night
• Fashion boutique — a boutique with a stage between the clothes racks
• Pottery studio — an artist's studio with a stage among the pottery wheels
• Hair salon — a concert among chairs and mirrors

This combination of pub concert and surprise location is what distinguishes the Lippstadt festival from other pub festivals (Soest, Münster, Detmold).

The Lineup 2026 (Selection)

18 bands have been booked. Confirmed acts include:

• ANDERERSAITS — Indie-singer-songwriter programme paired with a cover repertoire
• The Wild Band — Rock monsters with "21st Century Rockabilly"
• Circle Sky — Indie-pop duo from Lippstadt's Oli Frank and Cologne's Tom Wecker
• Plus 15 more bands from Indie, Rock, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, Acoustic, and Cover genres

Full lineup at lippstaedter-kneipenfestival.de/line-up/.

Städtischer Verkehrsverein Lippstadt e.V.

The organizer is the Städtischer Verkehrsverein Lippstadt e.V., located at Lange Straße 14. The association is Lippstadt's official tourism and city marketing organization. The pub festival is one of its most ambitious projects and part of a strategy to profile the city centre as an experience space — not just a shopping zone, but a cultural centre that remains vibrant even after business hours.

Ticket Situation 2026 and Outlook 2027

The 2026 edition is sold out. Those who want to attend in 2027 should keep an eye on the early bird sale starting in February 2027. Most locations from 2026 will return in 2027, with several new venues being added.

Discover Lippstadt

For those travelling to Lippstadt for the festival and planning to stay overnight: The Lippstadt old town with St. Mary's Church, the market square, the town hall, and the Lippe promenade is small but worth seeing. The Hellweg, Sauerland, and Soester Börde regions are right on its doorstep.