Long Night of Culture and Shopping Deggendorf

The LKE – Deggendorf's Night of Culture

For over 17 years, the Long Night of Culture and Shopping Deggendorf (LKE) has been the city centre highlight of this Lower Bavarian Danube town. On a Thursday evening in May, shops, restaurants, museums, and cultural venues open until 10 or 11 PM, streets and squares fill with live music, performances, hands-on activities, and special programmes – a city festival that is also a cultural event.

Shops, Restaurants, and Activities

Participating shops are open until 10 PM and offer special promotions: Cornhole challenges, a wheel of fortune, colour consultations, special discounts, and prize draws. Restaurants serve drink specials, tapas, and live music. Stalls, tables, and standing bars line the streets and squares – the city centre becomes a large open-air lounge.

Obere Stadtplatz and Luitpoldplatz

The Obere Stadtplatz hosts the main stage acts. In 2026, K-Pop performances by Luxxy Dance are scheduled for 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM. In previous years, the multi-time world and European champions of show dancing captivated audiences with precise choreography and lifts up to five metres high. Luitpoldplatz features additional stages and concerts.

Free Museum Admission in the Cultural Quarter

An LKE tradition: The City Museum, Craft Museum, and City Gallery offer free admission. In 2026, special guided tours of the current exhibitions are scheduled for 8 PM and 9 PM. A workshop for making scented candles (6 Euro material fee) complements the hands-on activities. In the City Library, the Silent Disco transforms the reading rooms into a club from 9 PM until midnight with three music channels via wireless headphones.

Town Hall Tower and Facade Projections

For the LKE, the city offers free guided tours of the historic town hall tower at 6 PM, 7 PM, and 8 PM. Students from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (THD) project moving images, animations, and video art onto the facade of the Krauth fashion house – a modern format that combines the classic urban space with digital art.

Selfie Contest and City Marketing Hashtag

A selfie contest at the Old Town Hall rewards entries with the hashtag @deggendorf_pulsiert. The LKE explicitly positions itself as a younger, social-media-savvy city festival – a contrast to traditional folk festivals.

Deggendorf – “Gateway to the Bavarian Forest”

Deggendorf, with around 35,000 inhabitants, is the district capital of Deggendorf. It lies at the confluence of the Danube and Isar rivers in the Lower Bavarian Danube Valley. The city promotes itself as the “Gateway to the Bavarian Forest.” The Deggendorf Institute of Technology makes the city a young university town. The LKE bundles and publicly celebrates this urban, youthful energy.