Stadtfest Barntrup — 650 Years Anniversary Edition

Stadtfest in the 650th Year of the City

The annual Stadtfest Barntrup will take place in a special edition in 2026: the small Lippian town of Barntrup is celebrating its 650th city anniversary. Instead of organizing a separate anniversary event, the town decided to make all its traditional festivals – Fischfest, Stadtfest – "more colorful and larger." The Stadtfest from September 25th to 27th, 2026 will thus become the central celebration of the city anniversary season.

Program in the Closed-Off Mittelstraße

The venue is Mittelstraße, Barntrup's main shopping street, as well as the area around the market square. During the festival, Mittelstraße is closed to car traffic – exhibitors, showmen, stages, and catering stands occupy the street. Three days of the city center in festival mode.

Program Components

• Exhibitor Mile – local shops with outdoor stands, advertising association promotions, clubs with their own stands
• Live Music – several stages with cover bands, acoustic sets, local bands, and popular acts
• Acrobatics – performances in the alleys and at the market square
• Food and Drinks – Lippian specialties, Pickert, lard bread, local ham, Lippisches Pils. Own anniversary beer was brewed for 2026
• Sunday Shopping – Barntrup's retail stores open on Sunday afternoon

650 Years Anniversary as a Common Thread

Barntrup received its town charter in 1376 – 2026 marks the 650th anniversary. The town consciously decided against a single large anniversary festival and instead enriched all existing festival dates. At the Stadtfest, references to the 650 years are visible on stage, in speeches, and in poster design. An anniversary beer was also specially brewed – a liquid souvenir of the birthday year.

Für Barntrup e.V. — The Organizer

The Stadtfest is organized by the association Für Barntrup e.V., a civic marketing network that organizes several city festivals throughout the year. The Stadtfest is its most important date in the annual program.

Barntrup — Small Town in the Lippe District

Barntrup is a small town with around 9,000 inhabitants in the Lippe district, in southeastern Lippe. One of the "real" small Lippian towns – with its own historic town center, its own civic tradition, and unusually active club life for its population size. Its location at the transition to the Weserbergland makes the town attractive for local recreation and tourism from the Hanover/Hameln region.