Annafest Forchheim: Franconia's Cellar Beer Festival

Long before Oktoberfest existed, the people of Forchheim were already walking up into the oak woods above their town to drink beer stored in cellars dug straight into the rock. That habit became the Annafest, first held in 1840 and now in its 186th edition. Between 24 July and 3 August 2026 the Kellerwald turns into an open-air festival ground of some 20,000 square metres, where more than twenty historic beer cellars serve Franconian lager under the trees. The cellars open daily from around 11:00 and close near 23:30, with the main programme starting at 13:00. Eight of them offer live music every day, and admission to the grounds is free. The 2026 edition opened with the traditional Bieranstich on 24 July at the Nuremberg Gate cellar, and closes on Monday 3 August. Guided tours explain how a pilgrimage to a chapel turned into one of Franconia's great summer rituals. More information: https://annafest.de/