What's on in Leipzig, Germany through the year

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

Nothing new starts in January.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Peak crowds — Leipzig Book Fair, Easter holidays in Germany

• Festival

  Leipzig Book Fair

  15 Mar – 1 Apr · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Four days when the fairground fills with readers rather than trade, the Manga-Comic-Con puts several thousand people in costume on the tram, and the Leipzig liest readings spill into bars across the city. Rooms go early. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Leipzig Book Fair, Easter holidays in Germany

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Leipzig Book Fair (15 Mar – 1 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Whitsun/Pentecost holidays in Germany

• Festival

  Wave-Gotik-Treffen

  5 May – 15 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Whitsun weekend, when tens of thousands of goths take over venues, parks and the trams in full Victorian black — the largest gathering of its kind anywhere. The city is entirely relaxed about it; hotels are not cheap. Source ↗

Busy — Wave-Gotik-Treffen, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Lake season south of the city

  1 Jun – 10 Sep · usuallySummer season opens

  The flooded lignite pits ringing the city — Cospudener, Markkleeberger, Zwenkauer — are the summer weekend, reachable by tram and bike path. Beach bars and boat hire run for the season only.

• Festival

  Bachfest

  5–25 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  Ten days of Bach in the two churches he worked in, with the Thomanerchor singing the motets where he is buried. Free open-air concerts on the market square carry the rest of it. Source ↗

Still on: Wave-Gotik-Treffen (5 May – 15 Jun (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Lake season south of the city (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lake season south of the city (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Lake season south of the city (1 Jun – 10 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Lichtfest, Autumn holidays in Germany

• Festival

  Lichtfest

  8–10 OctMajor festivalCrowded

  On 9 October the ring road is lit with installations to mark the 1989 Monday demonstration that broke the regime's nerve without a shot. It is a commemoration the city takes seriously, not a light show. Source ↗

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

• Festival

  Leipzig Christmas market

  24 Nov – 23 Dec · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  One of the oldest in Germany, documented from 1458, filling the market square and running up into the arcades so there is somewhere warm to stand. The Thomanerchor sings from the old town hall balcony to open it. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Leipzig Christmas market, Christmas holidays in Germany

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Leipzig Christmas market (24 Nov – 23 Dec (usually))