Luther's Wedding — Historic City Festival Wittenberg
Wittenberg's Grand Reformation City Festival with 2,000 Participants
About Luther's Wedding
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Luther's Wedding al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
Three Days in the Wittenberg of 1525
Every year in June, the old town of Lutherstadt Wittenberg is no longer entirely in the present for three days: market stalls, monks, craftsmen, nobles, soldiers, and of course the bridal couple themselves — Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora — populate the streets and squares around the castle, city church, and Luther House. The festival commemorates the wedding of the reformer with the former Cistercian nun on June 13, 1525.
In 2026, Luther's Wedding celebrates its 30th anniversary — a milestone for one of the most important city festivals in Saxony-Anhalt and one of the largest costumed major events in Germany. Around 150,000 visitors are expected, supported by about 30 historical associations and over 2,000 participants in the festival parade.
World Heritage as a Stage Set
Wittenberg is located in the Wittenberg district in southeastern Saxony-Anhalt, in the Elbe-Mulde-Wein region. The old town with Luther House, City Church, and Castle Church has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. During Luther's Wedding, the Schlossplatz, Markt, Lutherhaus forecourt, Coswiger Straße, and Lange Straße become performance venues. Each stage features its own program — from medieval music to theater performances to dance, acrobatics, and singer-songwriters.
The Festival Parade — The Centerpiece
The highlight is the historic festival parade on Saturday afternoon. More than 2,000 people march from the Luther House through the city in detailed costumes of the Reformation era: citizens, peasants, guilds, clergy, nobility, traveling folk. At the market square, the young couple Luther and Katharina are received with the grand vow of marriage. On Sunday, the Children's Festival Parade follows with around 400 children from Wittenberg associations, kindergartens, and schools — a wedding of their own for the younger guests.
Program Character
Luther's Wedding is not a folk festival (Volksfest) with amusement rides and snack stands, but a curated historic city festival with a high claim to authenticity. Costumes are checked, market stalls must be designed in the style of the Reformation era, and food largely follows recipes from the period. It is precisely this consistency that has made Luther's Wedding one of the most respected historical festival events in the state of Saxony-Anhalt — and beyond.
Luther's Wedding — edition 2026
The 30th anniversary edition of Luther's Wedding promises an especially lavish program in 2026: more stages, more associations, a larger traveling company of historical participants. The city festival spans the entire old town over three days — from Schlossplatz and Stadtkirche to Coswiger Straße and Luther House.
Friday evening, the festival begins at 5 PM with the arrival of Martin and Katharina on the market square and the official opening of the three-day wedding celebration. Saturday from 11 AM, the festival zone is in full swing, at 2 PM the grand festival parade sets off from Luther House. Sunday is entirely dedicated to families.
Programme Luther's Wedding 2026
Day 1 — Friday, June 12, 2026
- From 5:00 PM — Arrival of the wedding party, opening on the market square
- Start of the historic market and stage programs
- Evening program on several stages around Schlossplatz, Markt, and Lutherhaus
Day 2 — Saturday, June 13, 2026 (Highlight)
- 11:00 AM — Start of the day's program
- 2:00 PM — Grand historic festival parade starting from Luther House, with over 2,000 costumed participants from around 30 historical associations
- Wedding ceremony on the market square
- All day — Concerts (medieval music, Renaissance music, singer-songwriters), theater, dance, historical reenactments, craft demonstrations, culinary stands
- Evening program until late
Day 3 — Sunday, June 14, 2026 (Family Day)
- From 11:00 AM — Family program
- Children's Festival Parade with approx. 400 children from Wittenberg schools, kindergartens, and associations — young Martin and young Katharina at the front
- Distribution of sweet gifts along the parade route
- Stage program with a focus on a younger audience
- Winding down in the late afternoon
Program updates and individual stage schedules will be published on lutherhochzeit.de.
Highlights Luther's Wedding 2026
Prices Luther's Wedding 2026
Practical information — Luther's Wedding
Getting There
Train: Lutherstadt Wittenberg Hbf is on the ICE line Berlin–Leipzig (approx. 40 min from Berlin, 35 min from Leipzig). From the station, it's about a 10-minute walk to the old town.
Car: A9 exit Coswig (Anhalt) or A9 exit Wittenberg, then B187. Park & Ride recommended; the city center is largely closed off during the festival.
Tickets
3-Day Ticket: €25. Children up to 14 years free. Available online and at the entrances to the festival zone.
On Site
Festival zone largely car-free, several stages, historic market, food and drink, restrooms. Limited accessibility due to cobblestones and crowds in the old town — better to visit on weekdays / Sunday mornings if you are sensitive.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
Max. 5 photos, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Each suggestion is reviewed by our team before being published.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Luther's Wedding al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
Where it takes place Luther's Wedding
Altstadt Lutherstadt Wittenberg
Marktplatz, 06886 Lutherstadt Wittenberg