What's on in Heidelberg, Germany through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Streichquartettfest

  15–30 Jan · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  A few days of string quartets in the Stadthalle in the second half of January, run by the Heidelberger Fruehling team: a reason to come in the quietest weeks of the year, when the old town is mostly locals and students. Source ↗

Busy — Fastnacht parade, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Fastnacht parade

  17 FebCarnivalCrowdedClosures

  One of Germany's oldest carnival parades rolls from Bergheim through the Hauptstrasse on Shrove Tuesday afternoon, with tens of thousands lining the route and a party on the Marktplatz afterwards. Streets close for the day. Source ↗

Busy — Easter holidays in Germany, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter holidays

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekClosuresCrowded

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays everywhere, and shops close on Friday, Sunday and Monday. Good Friday is a quiet day with dance and loud-event bans in most states, and Germans use the four-day weekend to travel, so trains, motorways and holiday towns are busy. Source ↗

• Nature

  Blossom on the Philosophenweg

  25 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyCherry blossom

  Almond and cherry come out on the south-facing slope across the Neckar, usually in the first half of April. The path is narrow and everybody has the same idea on the first warm Sunday.

Still on: Fastnacht parade (17 Feb)

Peak crowds — Easter holidays, Easter holidays in Germany

• Holiday

  Ascension and Whitsun

  14–25 MayNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Ascension Day, a Thursday 39 days after Easter, and Whit Monday 11 days later are public holidays nationwide. Shops close on both, many people bridge them into long weekends, and trains, motorways and hotels in holiday areas get busy. Source ↗

Still on: Easter holidays (3–6 Apr), Blossom on the Philosophenweg (25 Mar – 20 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Ascension and Whitsun, Whitsun/Pentecost holidays in Germany

• Festival

  Queer Festival Heidelberg

  8–30 MayPride

  Most of May, centred on the Karlstorbahnhof: concerts, club nights, films, readings and talks, one of the larger queer culture festivals in Germany. Source ↗

Still on: Ascension and Whitsun (14–25 May)

Busy — Castle illumination nights, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Castle illumination nights

  6 Jun – 11 JulLights & fireCrowded

  Red flares light the castle ruin and fireworks go off over the old bridge for about twenty minutes, on the first Saturday of June and again in July. Free, and the riverbank fills from eight. Source ↗

• Festival

  Heidelberg Castle Festival

  11 Jun – 2 AugArts festivalBook early

  Open-air theatre, opera and concerts in the castle courtyard and Dicker Turm from mid-June into the first days of August, running since 1926. Evening shows sell out and need a warm layer. Source ↗

Still on: Ascension and Whitsun (14–25 May)

Peak crowds — Castle illumination nights, Summer holidays in Germany

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Castle illumination nights (6 Jun – 11 Jul), Heidelberg Castle Festival (11 Jun – 2 Aug)

Busy — Summer holidays in Germany, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Heidelberg Castle Festival (11 Jun – 2 Aug)

Peak crowds — September castle illumination, Heidelberger Herbst

• Festival

  September castle illumination

  5 SepLights & fireCrowded

  The third and last illumination of the year, on the first Saturday of September, with a beer garden and live music on the Nepomuk terrace at the end of the old bridge from late afternoon. Source ↗

• Festival

  Heidelberger Herbst

  26–27 SepMajor festivalCrowded

  The old town becomes a street fair and flea market for a weekend at the end of September, with stages in the squares and the Hauptstrasse shoulder to shoulder from noon. Source ↗

Busy — Autumn holidays in Germany, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Autumn on the Neckar slopes

  8 Oct – 8 Nov · usuallyAutumn colour

  The wooded hills either side of the river turn through October and the castle terrace looks down on it. Morning mist in the valley is common in the same weeks.

Still on: Heidelberger Herbst (26–27 Sep)

Busy — Christmas market, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Christmas market

  23 Nov – 22 DecChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Six linked squares down the Hauptstrasse with a rink under the castle, which spreads the crowd better than most German markets of this size. It shuts before Christmas Eve. Source ↗

Still on: Autumn on the Neckar slopes (8 Oct – 8 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas market, Christmas holidays in Germany

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Christmas market (23 Nov – 22 Dec)