Events and Festivals
You can celebrate the way the people of Mainz do in February during the Shrovetide carnival processions, during the marathon in May or in July during the largest fair on the Rhine, the midsummer festival “Johannisnacht” in honour of Johannes Gutenberg. A popular rendezvous in late summer is the Wine Market and it is not only the romantic who go into raptures in December about the Mainz Christmas fair and the festively illuminated old city.
Carnival in Mainz - the spectacular 5th Season
With scores of festivals, special events days and celebrations exclusive of the various wine festivals, Mainz is a never-ending party! This does not include the spectacular 5th Season or Carnival (Fastnacht) which kicks off in November and goes full blast this year clear up to Ash Wednesday.
More information on Carnival in Mainz.
Midsummer St. John's Night Festival (Johannisnacht)
The traditional Mainz Midsummer St. John's Night Festival – Johannisnacht – is the climax of the festival season in Mainz. In addition to the traditional features of a fair come the typical Johannisnacht attractions. The initiation ceremony for printers, the ducking of printing apprentices, takes place in the direct vicinity of the Gutenberg Museum, at Liebfrauenplatz.
More information on Midsummer St. John's Night Festival
Annual Wine Market
Every year Mainz’s Rosengarten and Volkspark are the sites for the Wine Market, the last weekend in August and the first weekend in September. White wines and rosés from the previous year are offered as well as some reds as well as wines from earlier vintages.
More information on the wine market.
Mainz Christmas Fair
The historic market square in Mainz is a blaze of lights. The air is scented with a Christmassy mixture of roast almonds, gingerbread, hot chestnuts and mulled wine. Large and small visitors gladly let themselves be enchanted by this pre-Christmas atmosphere. On a stroll through Mainz Christmas Fair, the stress and hectic pace of everyday life are quickly forgotten.
More information on the Mainz christmas fair.
