26th Mainz Beer Festival

The Mainz Beer Festival is part of a supra-regional series of beer festivals that have been delighting beer fans in German cities since the 1990s with the concept of an open-air beer tasting with an international selection. Mainz has been a firm fixture in this series for over two decades; the 26th edition in 2026 marks considerable continuity in Mainz's summer event landscape.

The venue is the Mainz Rhine promenade between the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke and Kaisertor – arguably the most spectacular open-air location in the city. Directly in front of the baroque Electoral Palace, with a view of the Rhine and Wiesbaden-Mainz-Kostheim on the opposite bank, a festival mile is created over three days, which fills with visitors on pleasant Mainz summer evenings well past midnight.

Around 60 beer stands will present over 500 types of beer. The selection ranges from German classics – Pils, Helles, Hefeweizen, Rauchbier, Bockbier – through the highly developed German craft beer scene with IPAs, Stouts, Sours, and experimental wild ferments, to international specialties: Belgian Trappist and abbey beers, English ales, Bohemian Pilsners from the Czech Republic, Scottish whisky cask-aged beers, US craft innovations, Japanese and Mexican breweries. There is something for every taste – from the beer enthusiast to the occasional drinker.

The tasting is accompanied by two live music stages featuring regional bands from the Mainz and Rheinhessen area. The repertoire ranges from Rock, Pop, and Funk to acoustic singer-songwriter sets, Blues, and classics of German pop music. Food trucks and snack stalls offering beer accompaniments – Bratwurst, burgers, Flammkuchen, Currywurst, vegetarian options – complete the offering. Admission is free.