9 highlights a year
Events in Heidelberg
The most important festivals, markets and recurring events in Heidelberg - with dates, background and tips on getting there.
Castle Festival Heidelberg
In addition to the castle lighting, which takes place three times a year, the so-called Heidelberg Castle Festival is also held every summer. The Heidelberg Castle, provides the perfect atmosphere for the most famous and most visited open-air theater games in the north of Baden-Württemberg....a cultural flagship of the first rank for the city and the region. Gerhard Stratthaus(2001, former finance minister Baden-Württemberg)
Heidelberg Castle Illumination
In June, July and September of each year, the Heidelberg Castle lights up in blazing red. As soon as the red Bengal lights fade, the fireworks display starts from the Old Bridge. The castle illumination including the fireworks takes about 15 minutes, but is worth every single second, even for a slightly longer journey.
Heidelberg Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Locations and What to Expect
Heidelberg's Christmas market spreads across six squares in the Old Town, from Bismarckplatz to Karlsplatz, with roughly 140 stalls, an ice rink under the floodlit castle and the smell of cinnamon and mulled wine in the cobblestone streets. Here are the 2026 dates and everything a first time visitor should know.
Heidelberger Herbst
Heidelberger Herbst
Metropolink Heidelberg
In the following article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the famous street art festival.
Enjoy Jazz: Heidelberg's International Jazz Festival
Enjoy Jazz is an international festival for jazz and everything adjacent to it, spread across the Rhine-Neckar region. For six weeks in October and November, concerts run in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, with the Heidelberg dates at the Stadthalle and the Karlstorbahnhof.
Heidelberger Frühling: Heidelberg's Classical Music Festival
Heidelberger Frühling (Heidelberg Spring) is one of Germany's most respected classical music festivals. Since 1997 it has filled March and April with around 100 concerts in the Stadthalle, the great hall of the old university and other historic venues around the city.
Heidelberger Stückemarkt: Festival for Contemporary Drama
The Heidelberger Stückemarkt at the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg is one of the most respected German-language festivals for contemporary playwriting. Every year in late April and early May it puts new, as yet unperformed work in front of an audience for the first time.
International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg
The Internationales Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg (International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg) is one of the oldest and most respected film festivals in Germany. Since 1952 it has screened work by young directors and independent films from around the world every November.