Ostsee Plein Air Festival
Germany's largest plein air painting event on the Baltic Sea
About Plein Air Festival
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A Week of Painting Under the Open Sky
The Ostsee Plein Air Festival has been held in Kühlungsborn since 2017, and since 2023 also in Bad Doberan and Heiligendamm. It has become Germany's largest event for plein air painting — that is, painting in the open air — and attracts artists from Germany and abroad to the Baltic Sea coast every year.
Programme
The event kicks off with an open gathering in the Konzertgarten Ost, followed by three-day workshops in Bad Doberan/Heiligendamm and Kühlungsborn. Afterwards, two days of open painting by the sea and in the town are scheduled. The festival concludes with an exhibition and awards ceremony at the Kunsthalle Kühlungsborn.
Prizes
Three main prizes are awarded: €1,000, €500, and €300, plus the audience award from the Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper. Participation in workshops is open to all skill levels: beginners, intermediate, and professionals, in oil, watercolour, and pastel techniques.
Local Context
Kühlungsborn (Rostock district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and the neighbouring Bad Doberan/Heiligendamm form one of Germany's most scenically rich painting regions — with steep cliffs, a promenade, a pier, the classicist Heiligendamm, and the brick Gothic architecture of the Doberan Minster.
Plein Air Festival — edition 2026
From May 2nd to 9th, 2026, the Ostsee Plein Air Festival invites you to Kühlungsborn and Bad Doberan/Heiligendamm. The opening event will be held on Sunday, May 3rd, at 5:00 PM in Konzertgarten Ost. From Monday, May 4th, to Wednesday, May 6th, workshops will take place in Bad Doberan/Heiligendamm and concurrently in Kühlungsborn — focusing on oil, watercolour, and pastel painting for all skill levels. May 6th and 7th are dedicated to open painting days. The exhibition with awards ceremony follows on Saturday, May 9th, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Kunsthalle Kühlungsborn. The three main prizes are endowed with €1,000, €500, and €300.
Programme Plein Air Festival 2026
- Sunday, May 3rd, 5:00 PM — Opening at Konzertgarten Ost
- Mon–Wed, May 4th–6th — Workshops Bad Doberan and Kühlungsborn
- Wed–Thu, May 6th–7th — Open Painting
- Saturday, May 9th, 2:00 PM–5:00 PM — Exhibition and Awards Ceremony, Kunsthalle Kühlungsborn
Highlights Plein Air Festival 2026
- A week of plein air painting on the Baltic Sea coast
- Workshops in oil, watercolour, and pastel for all levels
- Three main prizes: €1,000, €500, and €300
- Audience award from the Ostsee-Zeitung newspaper
Prices Plein Air Festival 2026
Workshop and participation fees vary depending on the format. Registration and prices available on the official website ostsee-pleinair.de.
Practical information — Plein Air Festival
Getting There
Take the Bäderbahn Molli train from Bad Doberan to Kühlungsborn. Train connections to Bad Doberan via Rostock. By car, take the A20 motorway (exit Bad Doberan).
Participation
Registration and workshop booking via www.ostsee-pleinair.de. Organiser: Ostsee Plein Air Festival, Ostseeallee 19, 18225 Kühlungsborn.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place Plein Air Festival
Kunsthalle Kühlungsborn & Bad Doberan/Heiligendamm
Ostseeallee 19, 18225 Kühlungsborn