Eisenach Sommergewinn
- 5 March 2027 – 14 March 2027
- Eisenach, Thuringia
Estimated. This date could not be independently verified for this year and may change - check the official source before relying on it.
One of Germany's oldest spring festivals, with a procession and the burning of Winter, an intangible cultural heritage since 2014; held on 13 to 22 March in 2026. It is tied to Laetare Sunday. The date follows the event's usual pattern and has not yet been officially confirmed.
Source: https://www.festivalsindeutschland.de/festival/sommergewinn-eisenach · Checked 2026-10-08
What Sommergewinn in Eisenach is
Sommergewinn is Eisenach's spring festival, a custom in which the town symbolically drives out winter and welcomes summer. The event data calls it one of the oldest spring festivals in Germany and notes a procession and the burning of Winter. It has been recognised as intangible cultural heritage since 2014. The festival is centred on the old town of Eisenach below the Wartburg, and it is mostly a celebration for the people of the town and the surrounding region.
This page covers the 2027 edition. The entry is an estimate based on the rule that links the date to Laetare Sunday, not a programme issued by the organiser.
Dates in 2027 and the link to Laetare Sunday
The planner shows Friday 5 March to Sunday 14 March 2027, a ten-day period. The festival's date follows Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, which falls three weeks before Easter. Easter Sunday in 2027 is 28 March, so Laetare Sunday is 7 March, and it sits inside the estimated window as the second day after the opening Friday. For comparison, the data lists 13 to 22 March for 2026, when Laetare Sunday was 15 March.
Because the status is estimated, treat 5 to 14 March as a working assumption. The exact start, the parade day and the programme in between are decided by the organisers, so check the official festival or city page.
Tradition, procession and Eisenach
The core of the tradition is the procession through town, in which children and adults take part, and the burning of a figure that stands for winter. Such spring customs exist in several German regions, but Eisenach's version is closely tied to its town identity and has a long continuity.
Eisenach is also much more than a festival backdrop. The Wartburg, a castle above the town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German during his stay in 1521 and 1522. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, and the Bachhaus museum presents his family and instruments. The town also has a car-making history, which you can follow in the Automobile Welt Eisenach.
What to eat, see and do
March in the Thuringian Forest is still cool, so warm food is welcome. The Thuringian bratwurst, dumplings and roasts are typical, and the festival days usually bring food stands to the central squares.
Use the quieter days of the ten-day period for the Wartburg, the Bachhaus, the Lutherhaus and a walk to the Drachenschlucht, a narrow gorge near the town. The Rennsteig, the long-distance trail along the ridge of the Thuringian Forest, starts near Eisenach for anyone who wants a hiking day if the weather allows.
Getting there and where to stay
Eisenach has a railway station with regional and long-distance connections to Erfurt, Kassel and Frankfurt, so a trip without a car is straightforward. The station is a short walk or bus ride from the old town, and the Wartburg is reached by a bus or a walk uphill.
Accommodation options include hotels in the centre and guesthouses on the slope towards the castle. The parade day is the one to plan around: rooms in the centre get scarce on that weekend.
Public holidays and bridge days in Thuringia, 2027
The estimated period starts on a Friday and ends on a Sunday ten days later, so it includes two weekends, 6 and 7 March and 13 and 14 March. Laetare Sunday, 7 March, is the first of them. A visit on that first weekend costs no vacation day if you arrive on Saturday, and one if you arrive on Friday morning.
No public holiday falls inside the window. The Easter holidays come later: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March 2027. A trip that combines the festival with Easter would be a separate journey, and taking the days between Monday 22 and Thursday 25 March would add four vacation days for a ten-day break through Easter Monday. Women's Day on 8 March is not a holiday in Thuringia.
Tips and who it suits
Sommergewinn suits people interested in living folk customs, families with children who enjoy a parade and travellers who like to pair a festival with castle and music history. It is a local event in character, so do not expect a ticketed show.
Wear warm and waterproof clothing, since early March can be cold or wet, and keep your booking flexible until the organiser confirms the dates and the parade time.
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Written and maintained by Basaveswara Rao. Last reviewed on October 10, 2026.