Name: Walpurgimarkt Spalt 2026
Start: 2026-05-03T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-05-03T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Festplatz und Innenstadt Spalt

Walpurgimarkt Spalt

About Walpurgimarkt Spalt

The Walpurgimarkt in Spalt is one of the most traditional spring markets in the Franconian Lake District. On a Sunday in early May, market stalls and flea market stands transform the historic old town of the Bavarian hop and beer town into a colorful market landscape. From 7 am to 6 pm, the street market, flea market, and antique market are open – combined with a Sunday shopping event, during which Spalt's shops also open their doors. A day full of Franconian market liveliness around Walpurgis time.

Dates 03 May — 03 May 2026

Venue Spalt (09576)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Walpurgimarkt Spalt — edition 2026

The Walpurgimarkt 2026 in Spalt takes place on Sunday, May 3, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The street market, flea market, and antique market extend from the main street across the festival grounds to the old town. Spalt's retailers will open their shops in the afternoon as part of a Sunday shopping event. Free admission.

Walpurgimarkt on May 3, 2026

On this Sunday, hundreds of market stalls will fill the old town of the hop town. The flea and street markets attract bargain hunters early in the morning, the street market with bratwurst stands and small amusement rides appeals to families, and in the afternoon, Spalt's shops will open for Sunday shopping. Local clubs will offer coffee and cake.

Sunday Shopping

May 3, 2026, is one of the four legally permitted Sunday openings in Bavaria per year – Spalt's shops typically open between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM.

Highlights Walpurgimarkt Spalt 2026

Three market formats in one day: street market, flea market, and antique market
Sunday shopping in the Franconian hop town
Tradition around Walpurgis time – Spring festival in the hop gardens
Tasting of Spalt hop beer in the brewery pubs
Free admission

Programme Walpurgimarkt Spalt 2026

Sunday, May 3, 2026

7:00 AM Market opens – Street market, flea market, and antique market
10:00 AM Antique market opens
1:00 PM Sunday shopping at Spalt shops begins
6:00 PM Market ends

Prices Walpurgimarkt Spalt 2026

Free admission. Stall fees for flea market vendors are paid directly to the town of Spalt.

Practical information

Practical information — Walpurgimarkt Spalt

Getting There

Spalt is located in southern Middle Franconia between Nuremberg (approx. 45 km) and Gunzenhausen. By car: B466 or via the A6 exit Schwabach-Süd, then federal road towards Spalt. By bus: Lines from Roth, Schwabach, and Gunzenhausen. Parking: Large parking lots on the outskirts of town, one-way street regulations in the old town from the morning hours.

Opening Hours

Street market, flea market, and antique market: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Sunday shopping at Spalt shops: usually 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Bavarian Sunday opening regulations).

Admission

Free admission.

Spring Market in the Hop Town

The Walpurgimarkt is one of the oldest and most popular market events in Spalt, the Franconian hop and beer town in southern Middle Franconia. The market takes place annually in spring around Walpurgis time – the date that traditionally marks the transition from winter to summer in Central Europe. In Spalt, this season coincides with the awakening of the surrounding hop gardens: the first delicate hop shoots emerge from the ground, which later produce the world-famous Spalter Hopfen.

Three Markets in One Day

The concept combines three market formats in a confined space: Street and street market with stalls for household goods, textiles, regional products, and small amusement rides; flea market for used goods, vintage items, and curiosities; as well as a dedicated antique market with furniture, crockery, books, and collector's items. The market extends from the main street across the festival grounds to the side alleys of the old town.

Sunday Shopping

In parallel with the market, many Spalt retailers take advantage of the Sunday shopping event to open their stores – one of only four Sunday openings legally permitted in Bavaria per year. Clothing stores, bookstores, opticians, bakeries, and cafés invite visitors to stroll and linger.

Spalt – the Hop and Beer Town

Spalt is a small town with about 5,100 inhabitants in the district of Roth in Middle Franconia (state of Bavaria). The town is world-renowned for its Spalter Hopfen – one of the finest aroma hop varieties, cultivated in the region for over 1,200 years – and for the Stadtbrauerei Spalt, considered one of the oldest municipal breweries in Germany. The interactive museum HopfenBierGut explains the history of Spalt hops from their emergence in the Middle Ages to the present day. The Franconian Lake District with the Brombachsee lake begins directly at the town's gates.

Atmosphere

Unlike the big folk festivals (Volksfeste), the Walpurgimarkt has a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere: Franconian spring air, the smell of bratwurst, coffee and braided sweet bread (Hefekranz) in the sun, bargain hunters rummaging through flea market finds, families strolling through the town. Anyone who fancies a Spalt Lager beer afterwards can stop by one of the town's cozy brewery pubs in the evening.