Leisure activities

Culture in Ansbach and the surrounding area

There's something going on in Ansbach all year round

January
February
March	Festnacht-Mess' (Market)	Jazztime
April	Easter exhibition	LeseLust (Literature)
May	Mai-Mess' (Market)	Spring Festival	Wine Festival
June	Old Town Festival
July	Day of the Franconian	”Kirchweih”	”Kirchweih” Hennenbach	”Kirchweih” Meinhardswinden	”Kirchweih”	Rococo Festival	Ansbach Open
August	”Kirchweih” Brodswinden	”Kirchweih” Eyb	Kaspar Hauser Festival (biennial)	Bachwoche (biennial)	Jazztime	Bardentreffen (Musician meeting)
September	Green Night (biennial)	Reading fun - children's book week	Leseart - reading and literature festival
October	”Kirchweih” Elpersdorf	Jazztime
November	Martini-Mess' (Market)
December	Christmas market

Old Town Festival

The Old Town Festival takes place five days a year and includes a musical programme and specialities from all over the world.

Ansbach Open

Every year in July, the Ansbach Open takes place in the riding arena with various German and international guests for young and old. Tickets can be purchased from www.reservix.de, the ticket shop of the Fränkische Landeszeitung (FLZ), the Kammerspiele theatre or the Department of Culture and Tourism.

Bachwoche

Every two years, works by Johann Sebastian Bach and other compositions are performed for ten days in various churches and concert halls.

Bardentreffen

The Bardentreffen takes place in the riding arena against the backdrop of the castle. There is something for everyone on various stages: music by regional artists, comedians, etc.

Green Night

Ansbach lights up green - every two years. Everything is illuminated in green, sights have open days and even the food and supporting events are based on this colour concept.

Jazztime

Jazz events take place in Ansbach three times a year. The event in August is the most popular, as it includes a jazz morning pint.

Kaspar Hauser Festival

After Kaspar Hauser was murdered in Ansbach in 1833, questions about his person, his death and his secret continue to occupy us. Every two years, these questions are revisited in a colourful programme.

Kirchweih

In Ansbach there is a ‘big’ ”Kirchweih” for the whole town, as well as smaller local church consecrations spread throughout the year.

LeseArt

Book lovers get their money's worth at this literary festival, especially through encounters with contemporary writers.

LeseLust Festival

Renowned writers and a platform for those interested in literature can be found at the LeseLust Festival.

LeseSpass

LeseSpass is the children's book week organised by the city of Ansbach, giving children the opportunity to get to know authors.

Mess'

Three times a year, the so-called Mess' (Market) are held in Ansbach for four days from Monday to Thursday. Various specialities as well as leather goods, stationery and household items are sold on Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Platz and Montgelasplatz around the town hall. There is also a wide range of food stalls (opening times: 09:00-18:00).

Easter exhibition

There is an exhibition of handicrafts from the region in the town hall at Easter.

Rococo Festival

The margravial heritage of the town of Ansbach is revived in the Orangery in the Hofgarten as part of the Rococo Festival.

Tag der Franken

On Franconian Day, guests can enjoy a colourful programme, a ceremony and lots of local food in the courtyard garden.

Christmas market/New Year's Eve market

The Ansbach Christmas market takes place in the centre of the old town with various stalls, from food to arts and crafts. After Christmas, it turns into the New Year's Eve market. A highlight is the Blacksmith's Christmas with nativity play and the long culture and shopping night.

Wine festival

The wine festival with Franconian wine, regional specialities and live music takes place on Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Platz.

Here you will find all current dates!

Culture in Ansbach

As the colourful calendar of events proves, culture is a big topic in Ansbach all year round. If there are no events taking place, there are other cultural highlights to choose from: Various exhibitions and family creative Saturdays are organised by the Speckdrumm cultural association

Ansbach also has several theatre venues. In addition to renowned plays, the municipal theatre on the Promenade also hosts concerts and cinema events as well as theatre sermons and puppet theatre. In contrast, the Kopfüber theatre, with its three stages and high artistic standard, has a rather unconventional repertoire. Semi-professional theatre work in Ansbach's only independent workshop theatre is characterised by the Lila theatre group. Spiel.Werk e.V. is a platform for the art and theatre scene, with various events and theatre productions. Cinema, theatre, cabaret and much more can be found at the Ansbacher Kammerspiele.

The galleries in Ansbach are another cultural delicacy. You can find all information about them here:

Ansbach also has two cinemas (Capitol, Schlosskino), a bowling alley and the Margrave Museum.

You can find more information about the cultural offerings in Ansbach here. There is also the Ansbach Volkshochschule (Adult Education Centre).

Culture around Ansbach

The area around Ansbach is described as picturesque and romantic. Ansbach itself originally developed from a Benedictine monastery. There are many historical buildings in the region, such as the Veste Lichtenau or the castle in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. There are also several museums in the area, for example the Franconian Museum Feuchtwangen or the German Christmas Museum in Rothenburg.
You can find information on excursion destinations in the region, such as castles and palaces or various museums here, and a map of the historical buildings in the region here.