SommerNachtFilmFestival Nürnberg

SommerNachtFilmFestival — when Nürnberg goes to the cinema under the stars

With the first warm August evenings, the annual SommerNachtFilmFestival begins in Nürnberg, Fürth, and Schwabach — one of Germany's largest open-air cinema festivals and the most important summer film event in the Nürnberg Metropolitan Region.

Nürnberg as a film city

Nürnberg is Bavaria's second-largest city and the capital of the independent city district of the same name in the state of Bavaria. With the Filmhauskino in the KunstKulturQuartier, the Casablanca, the Cinecittà, and the Filmtheater Roxy, it boasts an unusually dense independent cinema landscape. The SommerNachtFilmFestival has developed from this scene since 1997 — supported by the associations Mobiles Kino, Kommkino, and Filmhauskino.

Eleven venues, three cities

The festival's strength lies in the diversity of its locations:

• Marienbergpark — largest venue, more than 20 screening nights, large meadow on Braillestraße
• Tiergarten Nürnberg — cinema among the animal enclosures
• Tucherschloss & Hirsvogelsaal — Renaissance courtyard
• Pellerhof / Haus des Spiels — one of Nürnberg's most beautiful courtyards
• Further locations in Fürth and Schwabach
• Special locations like the Nürnberg waste incineration plant (2025) — deliberately unusual settings

Program philosophy

Genres and generations mix on the screen: current films from the past season, selected classics, sophisticated documentaries, and silent films (with live musical accompaniment). Premieres and special screenings round off the program. Marienbergpark is classically the "blockbuster venue" with films that appeal to a broad audience — the castle courtyards often show more curated pieces.

A Nürnberg summer tradition

The festival has been a firm fixture of the Nürnberg cultural summer for over a quarter of a century. With the NÜRNBERG CARD, there is a 50% discount at many partners; on "Overnight Cinema" evenings — such as animated films for families in Marienbergpark — the film night becomes a family camping experience under the open sky.