🗓 | Friday 29 → Sunday 31 August 2025 |
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📍 | Both banks of the River Main (between Eiserner Steg & Friedensbrücke) |
👥 | ≈ 1 million visitors each year, 40+ museums, 20+ outdoor stages |
💡 | Free open-air programme; “Museumsufer-Button” (€ ~8) gives unlimited entry to every participating museum all weekend (museumsufer.de, Visit Frankfurt) |
Scale & diversity – one of Europe’s largest cultural festivals, packing art, history, science, design, literature, food & music into three river-side days museumsufer.deDFF.FILM.
Late-night museum marathons – all 40 institutions stay open until midnight, from the Städel (Old Masters) to the brand-new Deutsches Romantik-Museum.
Non-stop live shows – jazz, EDM, classical, world-beats and local indie acts perform on floating and shore-side stages.
Dragon-boat regatta – heats start 09:30 Sat & Sun, finishing in front of the Mainkai crowd Frankfurt on Foot Walking Tours.
Spectacular finale – a choreographed fire-work & music show at 22:00 on Sun, viewed best from the Main bridges or a festival boat cruise Visit FrankfurtKöln-Düsseldorfer.
Day | Core hours* | Programme highlights |
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Fri 29 Aug | 15:00 – 01:00 | Official opening, museum late-night, electro-swing stage |
Sat 30 Aug | 11:00 – 01:00 | Dragon-boat heats, kids’ science zone, jazz & world-music night |
Sun 31 Aug | 11:00 – 00:00 | Finals of regatta, literature slam, 22:00 fireworks |
*Live stages end one hour earlier (midnight Fri/Sat, 22:00 Sun) Visit Frankfurt
Getting there – S-Bahn to Hauptwache or Hbf, U-Bahn U1/2/3/8 to Willy-Brandt-Platz. Many streets along the embankment are pedestrian-only during the festival; cycling is allowed before 14:00.
Button sales – buy in advance online or at festival kiosks; under-18s enter museums free Frankfurt on Foot Walking Tours.
Cashless – most food & merch stalls now accept cards/Apple Pay; ATMs at Römer & Schweizer Platz still queue up in the evenings.
Hotels – river-view rooms book early; if you’re late, try Sachsenhausen guesthouses (10-min walk).
Weather plan – late-August evenings can dip below 15 °C; bring layers and a fold-up rain-jacket (showers are common).