Highlights 2026

Franconia – Culture.Nature.Joy. - The 2026 Vacation Year!

Sixteen unique vacation regions, one travel destination: That's Franconia! Franconia, located in the northern part of Bavaria, is full of surprises, spoiling visitors with delicious cuisine, beer and wine specialties, romantic half-timbered towns, magnificent Baroque architecture, vibrant urban life, and natural landscapes made for outdoor adventures.

Music and Dance

Franconia - Where sound meets soul

Franconia’s culture is always full of sound! Classical music, rock and pop, jazz and world music, folk, dance, opera, and sacred music – all have a firm place in the regional event calendar. Under the motto “Franconia – Where sound meets soul!” the website offers orientation within this diversity and shows how varied, emotional, and unifying music and dance experiences are throughout the vacation region

Franconia - Where sound meets soul (Website coming soon)

“Festival150” celebrating Richard Wagner

Bayreuth becomes a total work of art

Bayreuth looks back 150 years to 1876, when Richard Wagner’s first opera festival took place here. With it, Wagner invented the modern festival experience – one designed for complete immersion in music. His purpose-built “Festspielhaus”, with its hidden orchestra pit, darkened auditorium, and minimalist architecture, remains dedicated to the undisturbed experience of his total artwork. For the 2026 anniversary, Bayreuth will transform into one large stage for 150 events: theater and concerts, art installations and original stage sets displayed throughout the city, light productions, and digital experiences – merging into one epic narrative.

more information about „Festival150“

75 years of the ION Music Festival and 50 Years of the Bardentreffen

Nuremberg soundscapes

Nuremberg offers great musical pleasure every year in its churches with the ION Music Festival, renowned for innovative interpretations of sacred music (June 19 – July 5, 2026). With its 75th edition, it is the oldest church music festival in existence.

In a different tone, Nuremberg celebrates world music from July 31 to August 2, 2026, with the 50th Bardentreffen. Spread across eight stages and around 90 concerts, it’s one of the largest free-admission music festivals in Germany. Hundreds of street musicians add even more open-air flair to the city.

40th anniversary of the “Kissinger Sommer” festival

Bad Kissingens highlights

Bad Kissingen shows just how closely highlights lie together in Franconia. Here, visitors can stroll through splendid spa architecture like Europe’s aristocracy once did, enjoy the extraordinary concerts of the Kissinger Sommer festival (June 11 – July 18, 2026), and relax in the healing thermal waters of the KissSalis Therme.

more information about Bad Kissingen

Catholic Convention in Würzburg

Courage in faith

From May 13 to 17, 2026, Würzburg will host the German Catholic Convention, themed “Have Courage, Get Up!” The invitation extends beyond Catholic circles – people of all faiths and none are welcome. The program includes a large street festival in the city center, a “Church Mile” where organizations and initiatives present their work, and numerous discussions, workshops, and exhibitions. Music, theater, and dance will complement spiritual moments such as services, meditations, multireligious gatherings, and the “Night of Lights”.

more information about the Catholic Convention in Würzburg

200 Years of the Dual Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

A commuting duke

Coburg also knows how to celebrate refined taste – not least thanks to its tradition of court suppliers. Their existence in the city goes back to the Dual Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, founded 200 years ago. Duke Ernest I and his heirs regularly commuted between their two residences, Coburg and Gotha. The 2026 anniversary, themed “One Duke. Two Residences”, brings both cities together. Highlights in Coburg include exhibitions at the Veste (May 22 – September 20, 2026), Ehrenburg Palace (autumn 2026), and the State Archives (October 20 – December 18, 2026).

more information about the anniversary

The new Retti Palais Museum in Ansbach

Unexpected insights into a city palace

Ansbach, the former seat of the margraves, is bringing new life to one of its most important Baroque monuments: the Retti Palais. After many years of vacancy, it will reopen in 2026 as a museum where sculptural works from the 16th to 18th centuries enter into dialogue with contemporary art. The building itself will be part of the experience – especially the original Falkenhausen rooms, with their magnificent wood paneling and paintings, offer an impressive glimpse into Ansbach’s history.

more information about the Retti Palais in Ansbach

Reopening of St. Michael’s Monastery in Bamberg

A paradise in the “Heavenly Garden”

Bamberg is celebrating the long-awaited reopening of St. Michael’s Monastery. After nearly 15 years of renovation, the hilltop ensemble will reopen in April 2026 – including its “Heavenly Garden,” a Baroque ceiling fresco depicting around 580 plant species in meticulous detail. The garden theme continues outdoors: the monastery’s six-terrace garden offers sweeping views across Bamberg and beyond. A walk along the Benedictine Trail leads through the former Baroque gardens with their linden avenue, ancient fruit trees, and dolphin fountain.

more information about the St. Michael’s Monastery in Bamberg

50 years of the Jura Museum in Eichstätt

A visit to the Archaeopteryx

Eichstätt is also celebrating the anniversary of a museum institution: the Jura Museum on Willibaldsburg Castle was founded 50 years ago. Since then, Bavaria’s second-largest natural history museum has taken visitors back to the island, reef, and lagoon landscapes that once existed here about 150 million years ago. The focus is on fossils from the Solnhofen limestone formations. Highlights include an original Archaeopteryx specimen and the show aquariums with reef corals, colorful fish, and “living fossils.” The jubilee year will feature numerous guided tours, family programs, events, and a special exhibition.

more information about the Jura Museum

125 years of the German Toy Museum in Sonneberg

A game of memories

The German Toy Museum in Sonneberg will mark its 125th anniversary in 2026. The date refers to the founding of the Industrial and Trade School in 1901, housed in a magnificent neo-classical building. In addition to classrooms for toy designers, modelers, and draftspeople, the building contained exhibition halls for student work and a “collection of exemplary pieces”. With lectures, special events, and an anniversary exhibition, Germany’s oldest toy museum will honor key figures and milestones of its history.

more information about the German Toy Museum in Sonneberg

100 years of the Pottenstein Rock Pool

Stylish refreshment

In 2026, the Felsenbad Pottenstein in Franconian Switzerland will celebrate its 100th anniversary. As one of Bavaria’s oldest outdoor pools, it delights with a natural swimming pond, its dramatic setting at the foot of a rock face, and its Art Nouveau charm. Opened in 1926 and fed by a natural spring, the pool guarantees refreshment with style. During the 2026 season (from May onward), a special exhibition with historical photos will look back on its fascinating story.

more information about the Pottenstein Rock Pool

Bad Weißenstadt am See

Franconia’s youngest spa town

Bad Weißenstadt am See, Franconia’s youngest spa town, received official spa status in 2025. It has developed continuously since the opening of its radon spa center Kurzentrum Bad Weißenstadt am See in 2007 and the Siebenquell GesundZeitResort  in 2016. A second spring containing fluoride-rich sulfur water is now being developed (www.weissenstadt.de/en, www.kurzentrum-weissenstadt.de/en, www.siebenquell.com/en).

more information about Bad Weißenstadt am See

Bad Mergentheim: 200 years healing spring and 100 years spa resort

A celebration of health

In Bad Mergentheim, the year brings a double jubilee: 200 years since the discovery of its first healing spring and 100 years since the town was officially named a spa resort. The 13-hectare spa park will become the centerpiece of the celebrations, with artistic light installations, an interactive history trail, and exhibitions exploring spa culture and history.

more information about Bad Mergentheim

Bad Staffelstein: 25 years as a spa town and 40 years of the Obermain Therme

A celebration of health

Bad Staffelstein, home to Bavaria’s strongest and warmest thermal salt water, celebrates 25 years as a spa town and 40 years of the Obermain Therme. Visitors can look forward to themed tours, concerts, and unique sauna events under the motto “Sea, Health & Pleasure”.

more information about Bad Staffelstein

50th anniversary ThermeNatur Bad Rodach

A celebration of health

In Bad Rodach, the ThermeNatur celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special festival weekend in June, a themed month, and a series of wellness-focused events. The spa’s 5-star sauna world and distinctive architecture continue to make it one of Franconia’s standout wellness destinations.

more information about the ThermeNatur in Bad Rodach

20 years of the “Hochrhöner”

In the land of open vistas

For 20 years, the Hochrhöner has stood – true to its name – for hiking at its finest. This certified premium trail crosses the Rhön between Bad Kissingen and Bad Salzungen. While hiking through this “land of open vistas,” ever-new panoramas unfold: ancient forests, mystical moors, and rare domestic breeds such as Red Hill Cattle and Rhön Sheep. One of the highlights is Mount Kreuzberg, crowned by its namesake monastery.

more information about the „Hochrhöner“