Name: WILMA Festival Wilster 2026
Start: 2026-06-19T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-21T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Colosseumsplatz Wilster

WILMA Festival

About WILMA Festival

The WILMA Festival is the big city festival of Wilster, one of Schleswig-Holstein's oldest towns (chartered 1282) in the Wilstermarsch region of West Holstein. For three days, WILMA transforms the Colosseumsplatz into an open-air stage: Low German songs by Mia Ohlsen, jazz-pop by Die blaue Stunde, folk from Germany/Scotland/Ireland/USA by Time for Folk, live music on all three festival days, food and drinks, as well as a colorful family program on Sunday and DJ after-show parties in the evening. Admission is free. The organizers are the City of Wilster and the Kulturhaus Wilster, which takes over its own program slots on the festival stage.

Dates 19 Jun — 21 Jun 2026

Venue Wilster (01061)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

WILMA Festival — edition 2026

The WILMA Festival 2026 runs from June 19 to 21 at the Colosseumsplatz in Wilster. The opening evening on Friday (from 6 PM) is curated by the Kulturhaus Wilster with three bands: Mia Ohlsen (Low German songs, fresh and humorous), Die blaue Stunde (Jazz-Pop, Blues, Soul) and Time for Folk (Folk music with guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki and ukulele from Germany, Scotland, Ireland and America). Saturday and Sunday follow with more live bands, food and drinks, family activities on Sunday and DJ after-show parties. Free admission.

Three Days at the Colosseumsplatz

The 2026 edition runs from Friday, June 19, to Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the Colosseumsplatz in the heart of Wilster. The City of Wilster and the Kulturhaus Wilster are organizing the festival together with numerous associations and sponsors.

Kulturhaus Stage on Friday Evening

The opening evening belongs to the Kulturhaus Wilster, which presents its own musical journey from Low German singing to jazz-pop to international folk with three bands. Performances start from 6 PM, admission is free.

Family Program on Sunday

Sunday, June 21, 2026, is dedicated to families — with special activities for children, a relaxed program, and the opportunity to wind down the third festival day with food and drinks at the Colosseumsplatz.

Highlights WILMA Festival 2026

Kulturhaus Stage on Friday with Mia Ohlsen, Die blaue Stunde, Time for Folk
Low German songs, jazz-pop, and international folk
Family program on Sunday
DJ after-show parties
Free admission on all three days

Programme WILMA Festival 2026

Friday, June 19, 2026 — Kulturhaus Stage (from 6 PM, free admission)

Mia Ohlsen — Low German songs, fresh, versatile, and humorous, with sing-along classics and regional repertoire
Die blaue Stunde — Jazz-Pop, Blues, Soul (musical accompaniment into the twilight)
Time for Folk — Folk music from Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and America with guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, ukulele, and bass, multi-part vocals
Following: DJ After-show Party

Saturday, June 20, 2026

More live bands on the WILMA main stage (program announced by Wilster City Management via wilster.de and mein-itzehoe.de)
Food and drinks at the stands on the Colosseumsplatz
DJ After-show Party

Sunday, June 21, 2026 — Family Day

Family and children's activities on the Colosseumsplatz
Relaxed daytime program, festival finale in the evening

Prices WILMA Festival 2026

Free admission. Food and drinks, as well as any surcharges at the after-show parties, are subject to a charge.

Practical information

Practical information — WILMA Festival

Getting There

By car: A23 Hamburg–Heide, exit Itzehoe-Nord, then B5 towards Wilster (approx. 15 min.). Parking is available in the city center and at the train station. By train: Regular regional train connections Hamburg-Altona–Wilster (approx. 1 h) via Itzehoe.

Admission

Admission to the WILMA Festival is free on all three days. Food, drinks, and possible surcharges at the after-show parties are subject to a charge.

Contact

City of Wilster (wilster.de). Kulturhaus Wilster — Am Markt 14a, 25554 Wilster, Tel. +49 4823 52999 09 (Wednesdays 10 AM–2 PM), [email protected].

WILMA — Wilster's Festival Summer

The WILMA Festival is a young but quickly established city festival that takes place on the Colosseumsplatz in the heart of Wilster. The name WILMA combines the city (WILster) with the marsh (MArsch) — a charming gesture to one of Schleswig-Holstein's oldest cultural landscapes.

Three Days of Program

The festival runs from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Regional and national artists alternate on the main stage — with a clear focus on the North German music scene and the Low German language, without being dogmatic. The program is accompanied by food, drinks, and DJ after-show parties in the evenings, and a family program with activities for children on Sundays.

The Kulturhaus Wilster on Stage

A special feature of WILMA: The Kulturhaus Wilster (Am Markt 14a) takes over a complete program slot on Friday evening with three bands from its regular program — free of charge and without registration. This means the Kulturhaus stage moves from an indoor space to the open Colosseumsplatz once a year.

Wilster — Town in the Marsh

Wilster is a small town with around 4,200 inhabitants in the Steinburg district. It is located in the center of the Wilstermarsch, a fertile marshland west of the Elbe and south of the Stör. The town has an unusual location: At -3.54 m below sea level, Germany's lowest point is a few kilometers west of Wilster — a curiosity that the town shares with Sandkrug near Neuendorf-Sachsenbande. Historically, Wilster was a Hanseatic city with its own fishing fleet; today it is a quiet transport hub between Hamburg, Heide, and Brunsbüttel with active club life.