Name: Zwiebeltreterfest Bamberg 2026
Start: 2026-09-10T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-13T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Böhmerwiese

Zwiebeltreterfest

About Zwiebeltreterfest

From September 10th to 13th, 2026, the Böhmerwiese in Bamberg's Gärtnerstadt will transform into a large beer garden – for the Zwiebeltreterfest. Promoted by organizers as "Bamberg's most relaxed festival," this city festival commemorates the tradition of Bamberg's gardeners, who used to flatten their onion plants with boards attached to their shoes. Four days of live music with six bands, Franconian conviviality, seasonal regional cuisine – and all of this with free admission. A festival date that has been a firm fixture in the late summer calendar for Bamberg families and students since 2009.

Dates 10 Sep — 13 Sep 2026

Venue Bamberg (09461)

Prices Free

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Zwiebeltreterfest — edition 2026

The Zwiebeltreterfest 2026 runs from September 10th to 13th on the Böhmerwiese in Bamberg's Gärtnerstadt. Four days of live music with six bands, Franconian cuisine, Bamberg beer – and the usual relaxed beer garden atmosphere. Free admission, no direct parking at the festival grounds, public transport or bicycle recommended.

In 2026, the Zwiebeltreterfest will stick to its proven concept: four days of free admission, beer garden atmosphere on the Böhmerwiese, six live bands. The festival continues to commemorate the Bamberg gardeners' tradition – the Zwiebeltreter with boards on their shoes – and combines it with a modern city festival program.

The musical spectrum ranges from rock and pop to Franconian dialect and reggae, as well as cover bands. The cuisine serves onion cake, burgers with a Franconian twist, and small regional specialties, along with Franconian beer from Bamberg breweries.

Highlights Zwiebeltreterfest 2026

Six bands over four days, free admission, Franconian beer and onion cuisine on the Böhmerwiese – the relaxed counterpart to the Sandkerwa.

Programme Zwiebeltreterfest 2026

Thursday, September 10th, 2026 (according to website Sept 11th)

7:00 PM — La-Boum (Opening)
Festival grounds open in the late afternoon

Friday, September 11th, 2026 (according to website Sept 12th)

6:00 PM — CHP
Festival tent operation until late afterwards

Saturday, September 12th, 2026 (according to website Sept 13th)

3:00 PM — Männersache
6:00 PM — Chicolores

Sunday, September 13th, 2026 (according to website Sept 14th)

11:00 AM — Red SOGS (Morning pint)
3:00 PM — The FabFive (Festival finale)

Note: The dates on the website fluctuate between September 10th–13th and September 11th–14th. Regional Kirchweih (church fair) schedules list September 10th–13th, 2026. Final confirmation via zwiebeltreterfest.de in the weeks before the event.

Prices Zwiebeltreterfest 2026

Free admission. Beer approx. €4–5, main courses between €6 and €12. Cash recommended, but card payment possible at some stalls.

Practical information

Practical information — Zwiebeltreterfest

Getting There

By car via the A70 or A73 (Bamberg exit), then public transport or Park & Ride – there are no direct parking spaces at the festival grounds. The nearest parking garages are a 5-7 minute walk away. By train to Bamberg Hbf, then approx. 15-20 min. walk or city bus. Arriving by bicycle is ideal.

Admission

Free admission on all four festival days. Food and drinks at typical festival prices, bands play without a cover charge.

When to Arrive

Family atmosphere during the day, concerts in the evening. Concerts start between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM depending on the day. Seating on the meadow is freely available – on warm summer evenings, it's worth arriving early.

Tradition of Bamberg's Gärtnerstadt

The Zwiebeltreterfest bears its name literally: In Bamberg's Gärtnerstadt (Gardeners' Town) – one of the city's three UNESCO World Heritage districts – onions were cultivated for centuries. To ensure the plants directed more energy into the bulb than the foliage during ripening, the gardeners walked through the beds with boards on their shoes and flattened the onion plants – hence the term Zwiebeltreter (onion treader), a self-designation for gardeners in the Bamberg dialect. The festival name alludes to this custom. The festival has been celebrated annually on the Böhmerwiese since 2009 – right in the heart of the Gärtnerstadt, between Heiliggrabstraße and Klein Venedig.

Bamberg's Most Relaxed Festival

While the Sandkerwa is Bamberg's major folk festival attracting tens of thousands of visitors, the Zwiebeltreterfest consciously opts for a relaxed atmosphere: a beer garden ambiance on a meadow, long wooden tables, plenty of shade under the trees, a family and student audience. The organizers call it "Bamberg's most relaxed festival" – no mass crowds, but Franconian conviviality. Six bands on stage over four days provide the musical accompaniment, ranging from rock and pop to Franconian dialect and reggae.

Regional Cuisine and Franconian Beer

The cuisine is inspired by what the Gärtnerstadt offers: onion cake, onion salad, hearty burgers with Franconian flavors, accompanied by Franconian beer from Bamberg breweries – a city that, with its nine city breweries, boasts one of Europe's densest brewery landscapes. The stalls are primarily run by clubs, small catering businesses, and local producers.

The Böhmerwiese in the Gärtnerstadt

The Böhmerwiese is located in the middle of Bamberg's Gärtnerstadt, on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage site. It is reachable on foot from the old town in 10-15 minutes. There are hardly any direct parking spaces – the organizers strongly recommend arriving by public transport, bicycle, or on foot. Bamberg is located in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), on the Regnitz river and the Main-Danube Canal, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.