Museumsuferfest, although a mouthful to say, is a large cultural fest along the Main River to celebrate culture, museums and welcome Fall! (kirill_makarov (Adobe Stock))
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During the last days of summer, fall swiftly approaches on the scenic museum embankments of the Main River during this cultural festival. Every year, a unique and creative program is curated. The museums have special offers and stay open late into the evenings.
Visitors can shop from many stalls offering international culinary specialties and high-quality handmade crafts. In 2025, we tried Frankfurt’s apple wine for the first time at one of these stalls as well as bought the famous Bembel to put our own apple wine in at home. We were also about to pick up some early Christmas presents (for others and ourselves) from the handmade market area including crocheted items, art and colorful prints.
Scattered throughout the organizations’ tents, food trucks and market stalls are over a dozen open stages where you can see a variety of performances. These included Thai dance performances, workshops, live bands and musicians, demonstrations, comedy acts, martial arts and performances by local children’s organizations and groups. There was something for everyone: Hard Rock, Pop, Big Band, cover bands, SKA and EDM. Personally, I became the band Lorraine’s 99th follower on Spotify and was happy to see that they had over 100 monthly listeners at the time of writing.
You can take a break from the festival to turn your attention to the river and watch the dragon boat races (the second oldest of their kind in Germany).We found ourselves cheering on a group of older women who donned awesome pink and black uniforms and demonstrated extreme athleticism.
Scattered throughout the organizations’ tents, food trucks and market stalls are over a dozen open stages where you can see a variety of performances. (Tamala Malerk at Museumsurferfest)
When ready to rejoin the fun, explore the Art Meadow and Antiquarian Book Mile or listen to music as you stroll the Organ and Choir Mile as well as visit Sound in the Monastery. Don’t miss the musical fireworks display on the last evening of the festival.
Entrance to the festival is free; however, you can purchase a seven euro-button which gets you entry into 20+ museums conveniently located near or on the river during the festival. This is a popular festival, attracting over one million people and, at times, the quiet of the nearby museums is a nice break from the crowds.
Museumsuferfest is an annual event. In 2026, the festival takes place Aug. 28-30. Go to the Visit Frankfurt website to see the full program and stay up-to-date.
