Name: Nördlinger Stabenfest 2026
Start: 2026-05-08T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-11T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Altstadt Nördlingen und Festplatz

Stabenfest Nördlingen

About Stabenfest Nördlingen

When the schoolchildren of Nördlingen parade through the medieval old town with flower-adorned staffs on Stabenmontag (Staff Monday), one of Germany's oldest children's festival traditions comes alive. The Nördlinger Stabenfest, with over 600 years of history, has been recognized as intangible cultural heritage of Bavaria since 2020. From May 8th to 11th, 2026, the town in the Donau-Ries region will celebrate four days of festivities with a fairground, festival beer, parades, and the famous 'Stabenumzug' (staff parade) on Monday.

Dates 08 May — 11 May 2026

Venue Nördlingen (09779)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Stabenfest Nördlingen — edition 2026

The Nördlinger Stabenfest runs from May 8th to 11th, 2026. Four days of festivities at the fairground with a festival tent, amusement rides, and festival beer. The highlight is Stabenmontag on May 11th, 2026, with the schoolchildren's 'Stabenumzug' (staff parade) through the medieval old town. The city calls for houses to be decorated with flags on the festival day.

Program Structure

Friday, May 8th: Festival begins at the fairground with opening ceremony, festival tent operations, amusement rides
Saturday, May 9th: Festivities with live music in the festival tent, evening celebration
Sunday, May 10th: Family Day with program for children, further festival tent entertainment
Stabenmontag, May 11th: Schoolchildren's 'Stabenumzug' through the old town to the fairground — the festival's highlight

'Stabenumzug' — Spectacle and Significance

Hundreds of schoolchildren march on Stabenmontag with staffs adorned with flowers and ribbons, dressed in festive attire, from their schools through the city center to the fairground. The traditional Stabenfest beer is served in the festival tents — specially brewed for the occasion.

Call for Flag Decorations

The city of Nördlingen officially calls on residents each year for Stabenmontag to decorate their houses with flags. White-blue (Bavaria), white-red (Swabia), and Nördlingen flags adorn the cityscape.

Highlights Stabenfest Nördlingen 2026

Schoolchildren's staff parade on May 11th (Stabenmontag)
Over 600 years of tradition
Intangible cultural heritage of Bavaria since 2020
Festival beer specially brewed for the occasion
Flag decorations throughout the old town

Programme Stabenfest Nördlingen 2026

Program Structure — May 8th to 11th, 2026

Friday, May 8th, 2026 — Opening

Festival opening at the fairground with beer tapping ceremony
Festival tent operations with brass band music
Showmen and amusement rides begin operating

Saturday, May 9th, 2026 — Festival Weekend

Daytime: Fairground operations with festival tent and amusement rides
Evening: Festival evening in the tent with live band / party music

Sunday, May 10th, 2026 — Family Day

Family program with special rates for children's rides
Morning pint with brass band music
Evening festival tent operations

Stabenmontag, May 11th, 2026 — Highlight

Morning: Schoolchildren gather at their schools
Staff parade of schoolchildren with decorated staffs through the old town
Call for houses along the parade route to be decorated with flags
Fairground operations with festival tent, festival beer, and showman offerings
Evening: Festival winding down in the tent

You can find the detailed program with times on the City of Nördlingen's website and through reports from Donau Ries Aktuell about the 2026 Staff Parade.

Prices Stabenfest Nördlingen 2026

Admission to the staff parade, old town events, and fairground is free. Food, drinks, and rides are at folk festival prices. Family Day on Sunday offers reduced rates for amusement rides.

Practical information

Practical information — Stabenfest Nördlingen

Getting There

By Train: Nördlingen station, city center a 10-minute walk away. By Car: A7 (exit Aalen) or B25 (Romantic Road). Parking available on the outskirts of the old town.

Festival Locations

Staff Parade: through the historic old town from the school center to the fairground
Fairground with festival tent, amusement rides, and showman stalls

Admission

Admission to the staff parade and fairground is free. Food, drinks, and rides are at folk festival prices, festival beer is available in the tents.

Six Centuries of Children's Festival in the Ries Crater City

The Nördlinger Stabenfest is one of Germany's oldest folk festivals. For over 600 years, the residents of the Swabian imperial city of Nördlingen in the Donau-Ries region have celebrated this children's festival, whose origins date back to the era of the medieval imperial cities. In 2020, the Stabenfest was added to the list of intangible cultural heritage of Bavaria — an official seal for a tradition that is still vibrantly maintained.

Stabenmontag — The True Heart of the Festival

The highlight is traditionally Stabenmontag with the 'Stabenumzug': Nördlingen's schoolchildren march in historical or festive attire, each carrying a staff — the 'Staben' — adorned with flowers and ribbons, through the old town. The parade moves from the schools through the city center to the fairground and is one of the most picturesque children's spectacles of spring in Bavaria.

Four Days of Festivities

The complete festival in 2026 runs from Friday, May 8th, to Monday, May 11th. In addition to the 'Stabenumzug' on Monday, it includes the classic fairground activities with a festival tent, amusement rides, showmen, and special festival beer — a folk festival that has developed around the children's festival highlight.

Nördlingen — City in a Crater

Nördlingen is located in the Nördlinger Ries, a 15-million-year-old impact crater from a meteorite — a geological phenomenon that continues to shape the city today. The almost completely preserved medieval city wall with its tower ring and the Gothic 'Daniel' church quarter make Nördlingen one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Southern Germany. The parade on Stabenmontag uses this old town as a backdrop — a historical scene of unique harmony.

Call for Flag Decorations

A unique feature of the festival: Each year, the city officially calls on citizens to decorate their houses with flags — on the festival day, white-blue, white-red, and Nördlingen flags fly from countless windows. This is also part of the intangible cultural heritage.