Name: Waldsee Festival Freiburg 2026
Start: 2026-10-03T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-10-03T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Waldsee-Gelände, Freiburg-Littenweiler

Waldsee Festival

About Waldsee Festival

On October 3, 2026, the Waldsee Festival Freiburg invites you to an open air event between the city lake and the Black Forest — self-proclaimed "Freiburg's biggest garden party". From 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, live acts, a vintage market, and a karaoke bar will transform the Waldsee grounds in the Littenweiler district into a versatile festival stage. The 2026 lineup features Chapo102, Paula Engels, and Zimmer90 — a mix of indie, pop, and singer-songwriter. The atmosphere is a blend of open-air concert and summer festival with a picnic character. The Day of German Unity is used as the festival date, leveraging the public holiday and combining it with local music culture. Tickets are exclusively available in advance; no box office sales.

Dates 03 Oct — 03 Oct 2026

Venue Freiburg im Breisgau (08311)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Waldsee Festival — edition 2026

Tickets →

The Waldsee Festival Freiburg 2026 takes place on Saturday, October 3, from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM at the Waldsee grounds in Littenweiler. 2026 Lineup: Chapo102 (Indie-Pop, Alsace/trinational), Paula Engels (German singer-songwriter), Zimmer90 (Pop/Indie). Also featuring a vintage market and karaoke bar. Tickets only in advance sale, no box office. Public transport ticket included in the festival ticket.

2026 Program

The 2026 edition uses the Day of German Unity as its festival date — a public holiday that makes the eight festival hours accessible to as many visitors as possible. Entry from noon, concert start in the early afternoon, festival end at 10:00 PM.

The lineup unites three emerging acts from the German-French indie and pop spectrum — the common thread between them is modern, melodic, lyric-oriented pop music with an individual touch. In addition, the vintage market (fashion, vinyl, furniture, jewelry) and the karaoke bar shape the festival experience, making the program more multifaceted than a pure concert event.

Highlights Waldsee Festival 2026

"Freiburg's biggest garden party" — self-promotion with substance
Day of German Unity as festival date (public holiday)
Chapo102 as trinational indie-pop headliner
Paula Engels and Zimmer90 as forward-looking German acts
Vintage market with curated vendors
Karaoke bar as a playful element
Public transport ticket included in the festival ticket
Eight hours of open air at Waldsee — picnic atmosphere
Accessible grounds, awareness concept

Programme Waldsee Festival 2026

Saturday, October 3, 2026 — Schedule

2:00 PM — Doors open, Vintage Market opens, first DJ sets
Afternoon — Live sets in sequence: Zimmer90 (Pop/Indie with German lyrics and electronic accents)
Late Afternoon — Paula Engels (German singer-songwriter — melodic indie-pop with poetic lyrics)
Evening — Chapo102 as headliner (French-speaking indie-pop group with a large fanbase in the trinational region)
All Day — Vintage Market, Karaoke Bar, Street Food Stalls, Bars
10:00 PM — Festival end

2026 Acts — Details

Chapo102 — chapo102.com — Indie-Pop from the trinational region (Freiburg/Mulhouse/Basel), French-speaking
Paula Engels — German singer-songwriter, melodic indie-pop, celebrated in ARD reporting as "one of the most promising voices of her generation"
Zimmer90 — Pop project with electronic influences, German lyrics

Stage Times

The exact performance times of the three headliners will be published shortly before the festival on waldseefestivalfreiburg.de and via the festival's social media channels.

Prices Waldsee Festival 2026

Tickets exclusively in online advance sale via waldseefestivalfreiburg.de and Eventim. No sales at the day or box office. The festival ticket includes free use of public transport within the Freiburg city area. Tickets for wheelchair users with a free accompanying person available via Eventim Service (01806-570070). Street food, bars, and vintage market purchases are paid for separately on-site.

Practical information

Practical information — Waldsee Festival

Getting There

By tram: Line 1 towards Littenweiler, stop Waldsee or Lassbergstrasse — festival ticket is valid as a public transport ticket! By train: Freiburg Hauptbahnhof (main station), then tram 1. By car: Limited parking — public transport strongly recommended.

Admission

Tickets exclusively in online advance sale — no day or box office tickets! ID required at entry. No re-entry after leaving. Tickets via waldseefestivalfreiburg.de.

Tip

If you're looking for vintage items, come early — the market is usually busiest in the afternoon. The karaoke bar gets crowded in the evening, so securing a spot early is worthwhile. Bring a picnic blanket — the lakeside grounds invite a relaxed festival experience.

Age Restrictions

Children under 6 not allowed. Hearing protection recommended for ages 6–12. Minors under 14 must be accompanied by parents/guardians.

Accessibility

Accessible toilets, largely accessible grounds. Tickets for wheelchair users with a free accompanying person available via Eventim Service (01806-570070). Service and guide dogs allowed.

Prohibited Items

Bags larger than DIN A4, glass bottles, professional cameras, drones, weapons, pyrotechnics, discriminatory materials.

The Waldsee Grounds as a Festival Stage

The Waldsee is Freiburg's capital lake — a small, popular city lake on the eastern outskirts in the Littenweiler district, nestled between the Black Forest slopes and the Mooswald recreational area. The grounds around the lake have been a meeting point for picnics, lido visits, and summer events for decades. The Waldsee Festival harnesses this summer vibe and shifts it to an autumn day — October 3 (Day of German Unity), a public holiday that is often mild and sunny, perfect for a final open air before winter.

2026 Program — October 3

The 2026 edition takes place on Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM on the Waldsee grounds at Waldseestrasse 84, 79117 Freiburg im Breisgau.

On the 2026 lineup:

Chapo102 — French-speaking indie-pop group from Alsace / the trinational region, with a large fanbase in Freiburg
Paula Engels — German singer-songwriter, melodic indie-pop with poetic lyrics
Zimmer90 — Pop/indie project with German lyrics and electronic accents

In addition to the concerts, there is a vintage market with selected vendors (clothing, records, jewelry, furniture) and a karaoke bar, making the festival a multi-component experience. The atmosphere is a mix between a classic open-air concert and a relaxed "garden party" hangover mode — a festival format that is well-received in Freiburg.

Freiburg and its Festival Culture

Freiburg im Breisgau is one of the greenest and most musically vibrant cities in Southern Germany. The university city in Breisgau on the edge of the Black Forest has a rich festival tradition — from the Jazzhaus to the Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF) to the Waldsee Festival. The Waldsee Festival has established itself as a specific brand in recent years: not a huge rock festival, not an electronic mega-event, but a curated indie/pop mix with atmosphere and ambition.

Day of German Unity as a Festival Date

October 3 is a public holiday in Germany — making the Waldsee Festival the ideal choice for a final open-air experience before winter. A six-hour event, a mild autumn day, public transport connections from Freiburger Verkehrs AG (included in the festival ticket), street food, bars — all on an accessible small site by the lake.