Pfingstfest with Pig on a Spit Grafengehaig

Whitsun in the Frankenwald

At Whitsun, the festival culture awakens in the Upper Franconian villages: In Grafengehaig, a small market town in the Kulmbach district at the foot of the Frankenwald, the Pfingstfest with "Sau am Spieß" is one of the most important dates of the year.

Suckling Pig Roast as the Highlight

The name reveals the centerpiece of the festival: a suckling pig, slowly roasted on a spit over embers – a specialty that has shaped Whitsun festivals in Upper Franconia for generations. It will be carved and served with side dishes such as sauerkraut salad, dumplings, or Franconian bread starting at 5 p.m. The feast is accompanied by smooth beer from Upper Franconian breweries.

Hike and Festival Evening

A special feature of the Grafengehaig Whitsun festival is the accompanying hike to the Pfingstfest on the same day: those who wish can hike through the Frankenwald to Grafengehaig and join the locals for a drink at the festival grounds. The festival itself has an "open end" – like many Upper Franconian club festivals, it doesn't have a fixed closing time, sustained by the conviviality of the guests.

Grafengehaig in the Frankenwald

Grafengehaig is a market town in the far north of the Kulmbach district, located at the transition from the Fichtelgebirge to the Frankenwald. With around 1000 inhabitants, it is a typical small Upper Franconian community, characterized by forestry, traditional club life, and nature-based tourism. The Pfingstfest is one of the defining club and market traditions with which the community presents itself to the outside world.

Character

The festival is small, rural, and authentic – not a mass event, but a meeting place that brings the entire village together: from the mayor to the youth, from the hiker from the Frankenwald to the regular guest from the neighboring village. Anyone who wants to experience Upper Franconia beyond the main tourist routes will find a real piece of Frankenwald Whitsun here.