Luther's Wedding Festival

About Luther's Wedding

Luthers Hochzeit celebrates the 1525 marriage of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The old town hosts a festive procession, themed areas, music, markets and performers in period costume, over a weekend in June. It combines a popular festival feel with a real historical subject, and it is easy to pair with a visit to the city's Reformation sites.

This page covers the 2028 edition, which has its own calendar shape and its own planning points.

2028 dates and status

The planner shows Friday 9 June to Sunday 11 June 2028 and marks the status as estimated. That is a weekend that falls shortly before 13 June, the anniversary of the wedding, which in 2028 is a Tuesday. The organisers have not announced 2028, so the dates come from the pattern of earlier editions and the Luther museums' press material. If you plan to attend, watch the official pages for confirmation, as festivals sometimes shift a week.

Programme, procession times and any entry arrangements are announced later in the year.

Character and history

Wittenberg is where Luther taught and preached, and its Reformation sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The festival adds a lively layer to this: residents dress in period clothes, craftspeople demonstrate old trades, and the streets between the castle church and the town church fill with stalls and music.

The atmosphere is warm and family friendly. If you want a quieter encounter with the history, visit the museums on the Friday or Monday outside the festival crowds.

What to see, do and eat

Beyond the festival, see the Lutherhaus, the Melanchthonhaus, the Cranach courtyards and the two main churches. Food includes roast meats, bread and regional sweets, and Baumkuchen from Saxony-Anhalt is a classic gift. The Elbe path invites a bike ride on the edge of town.

Allow a half day for museums and another for the festival itself. Evening concerts and church events sometimes complement the programme.

Getting there and where to stay

Wittenberg has a railway station on the Berlin to Halle and Leipzig corridor, with regional services and some long-distance trains. The old town is walkable from the station. For the festival, parts of the centre may be closed to traffic, so avoid driving into the middle.

Accommodation is modest in size, and the festival weekend fills rooms early. Book soon or consider nearby towns, but keep free cancellation until the date is confirmed.

Holidays and bridge days in Saxony-Anhalt, 2028

No public holiday in Saxony-Anhalt falls between 9 and 11 June 2028. Whit Monday was 5 June, four days before the festival begins, so Pentecost weekend itself is just before it. Corpus Christi, 15 June, is not a holiday in this state. A Friday to Sunday trip costs one vacation day, Friday 9 June.

If you want a longer stay, Tuesday 13 June, the wedding anniversary, is a normal working day. Reformation Day, 31 October 2028, is a Tuesday and a public holiday in Saxony-Anhalt, which makes Monday 30 October a bridge day, but that is for a later trip, not this festival.

Tips and who it suits

The festival suits families, history fans and friends. Come early for the procession, wear comfortable shoes and bring a rain layer. As the 2028 date is only estimated, hold off on non-refundable plans until the organisers confirm it.