Rohrer Seefest 2026 — 50th Anniversary

Stuttgart's oldest Free & Outdoors — since 1974

The Rohrer Seefest is Stuttgart's oldest non-commercial Free & Outdoors Open-Air festival. It has been organized since 1974 by the self-governing youth club Rohr e.V. — an initiative from the Stuttgart district of Rohr (Vaihingen district). The youth club was founded in 1966 as part of the Protestant youth work, was transferred to self-governance in 1973, and has since stood for a grassroots democratic, voluntary event format without commercial sponsors and without external control.

50th Anniversary 2026 — three days of Open-Air

The 50th edition in 2026 is a historic festival weekend — from Friday, June 12th, to Sunday, June 14th, 2026. Three days of live music in Rohrer Park — the green lung of the Stuttgart-Rohr district — with an unusually broad musical spectrum. Heavy Metal, Reggae, Punk, Rock, and Alternative — genres that rarely appear together in the official Stuttgart cultural calendar find their platform here.

The Concept: Free, Outdoors, Voluntary

Three principles define the Rohrer Seefest:

• Free: Free admission for all visitors. The festival is financed exclusively through food and beverage sales.
• Outdoors: Open-Air in Rohrer Park. Festival area with stage, seating areas, food stalls, campfire atmosphere in the evening.
• Voluntary: Over 80 helpers per year work unpaid at the festival. The bands also play without fees — they explicitly support the format.

Proceeds for a Good Cause

The profit from food and beverage sales — and this makes the festival particularly likeable — goes annually to a different social institution. Recipients in recent years have included initiatives for homeless people, refugee aid, animal shelters, and associations for children with disabilities. The selection is made by the Rohr Youth Club e.V. in its general assembly — a concrete form of lived district solidarity.

Musical Profile: Heavy Metal, Reggae, Punk, Rock

The musical profile is explicitly not "Mainstream Pop". Over the years, the following genres have crystallized as festival cores:

• Heavy Metal and Hard Rock — the oldest festival core, often with bands related to the Stuttgart-Mannheim region
• Reggae and Ska-Reggae — typical genre block on Saturday
• Punk and Hardcore — legacy of the 70s and 80s festival tradition
• Rock and Indie — young Stuttgart bands from the local scene
• Alternative and Crossover — hybrid forms, experiments

The lineup for the 50th anniversary in 2026 will be announced in the spring — expect an expanded program with bands that shaped the festival in its early years and are now returning for the anniversary edition.

"Kitchen Battle at the Seefest Grill"

Another hallmark: the "Kitchen Battle at the Seefest Grill" — communal cooking and grilling for festival visitors. Bratwurst, fries, vegetarian wraps, salads, homemade cakes, draft beer, non-alcoholic beverages. All at fair prices, with proceeds going back to the social institution.

Stuttgart-Rohr — the unknown district

Rohr is a rather unknown Stuttgart district in the Vaihingen borough, southwest of the city center. With around 8,000 inhabitants, it lies in a valley between the Filder plateau and the Swabian Jura. Rohrer Park is the green lung of the district — and with the Rohrer See, a small reservoir, it gives the festival its name.