Altstadtfest (Old Town Festival)

The much-visited festival spectacle in Bad Staffelstein takes place every year on the last weekend in July around the market square. At the Altstadtfest, medieval times play a fascinating major role. The biggest festival of the year begins each time on the Friday evening with an open-air concert on the market square. On the Friday evening the great ADAM RIESE night run takes place, which leads right through the historic streets, alleyways and squares. Even on Saturday there are a lot of further attractions for the visitor, including crafting demonstrations, a colourful camp, medieval music and dance performances. In the evening, there is a concert on the market square.

On the Sunday, traditionally the main day of the old town festivities, a medieval market with a colourful selection of historic crafting businesses makes up the biggest point of attraction of the festival. At the beginning, the craftsmen, the merchants and the magistrate with the civilian merchants march into the market square, which has been transformed into a medieval market for the day. From year to year, the range of medieval crafting businesses gets bigger: from shoemaker, ropemaker, and natural stone paviour via oven builder, barber, carpenter, brewer, painter and woodturner to stonemason, goldsmith, basket weaver, bowmaker, blacksmith and a wealth of other craftsmen in garments that are true to the original style, everything that was anything centuries ago is there today. Music, dancing and performances entertain the public.
The range of delicacies offered extends from the pig on a spit to roast sausages from the grill. All kinds of cultural offers from town guided tours to art exhibitions and not least the musical performances of gastronomy in the picturesque side-streets complete the festival programme on all three days.

One last high point is the musical firework display with atmospheric accompanying music which, according to tradition, closes the Bad Staffelstein Altstadtfest on the Sunday evening.