Saalfeld Fairy Festival

A Weekend in the Realm of Fairies

Once a year, on a weekend in June, the Fairy Grottoes Adventure World in Saalfeld opens its entire area for the Saalfeld Fairy Festival. Upon entering the Fairy Grottoes Park, visitors are immediately greeted by costumed figures — fairies with butterfly wings, gnarled trolls, mysterious elves, and stilt-walking fantasy creatures. The transformation of the park into another world is the central idea of the festival: for one weekend, everything that usually only happens in fairy tales should be possible.

Children's Programme — The Main Attraction

The Fairy Festival is clearly aimed at families with children. Several stages and activity tents offer a packed programme throughout the day: children's disco with a DJ, puppet shows, magic performances, dance shows, storytelling sessions, and face painting. Creative workshops invite visitors to craft fairy wings, magic wands, and flower crowns. Those who have always wanted to be a fairy, troll, or wizard themselves are taken seriously here — many children come already in costume, and some families spend weeks designing their outfits.

The Fairy Grottoes — Mysticism Underground

The heart of the festival remains the show grotto: a former alum shale mine, which has become one of Germany's most spectacular show caves due to its colourful stalactites and mineral-rich solutions. Grotto tours also take place during the Fairy Festival — with specially designed programmes explaining the world of fairies and legends. The Grottoneum, an interactive adventure museum, and the Feenweltchen (Fairy World), a themed park in the forest, are also open.

Saalfeld and the Fairy Grottoes

The Fairy Festival has become a Saalfeld landmark. The Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes — located in the state of Thuringia, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district — have been a tourist magnet for over a hundred years. The Fairy Festival originated as a summer event, offering families a special way to experience the site's mysticism. Today, it is one of the largest family events in Southern Thuringia, attracting several thousand visitors each year.

Payment with Feentaler

Instead of Euros, visitors pay with 'Feentaler' — small wooden coins purchased at exchange stations. These are used to pay for hands-on activities and craft workshops. Food and drinks are sold through regular cash registers. The idea behind this is to add an extra layer of fairy tale to the visit — even the money becomes part of the staging.