More than 500,000 visitors from near and far are once again expected in Mainz for the Johannisnacht festival from June 19 to 22, 2026. The festival will take place throughout downtown Mainz, primarily in the areas of Schillerplatz, Ballplatz, Gutenbergplatz, Markt, Liebfrauenplatz, Leichhof, Ludwigsstraße, the banks of the Rhine from the Kaisertor to Fort Malakoff, and Fischtorplatz. 

Mainz Johannisnacht will be opened on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. on the Rockland Gutenberg Stage at Liebfrauenplatz by Mayor Nino Haase and Festival Director Ludwig Holle. Gautschmeister Jürgen Schunk will also be on stage with them.  Together, they will kick off four days of a varied program. The audience can look forward to music, cabaret, and entertainment on five stages, street performances, the antiquarian book market, prize squares, the grand initiation ceremony, fun on the Rhine, an artists’ market, cuisine along the Rhine, wine villages, a sailing regatta, the Three Bridges Run, and much more!

Road Closures

The event area in downtown Mainz will be closed to all motor vehicles on the following days:

Friday, June 19, 2026, 11:00 a.m. to Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 6:00 a.m.
 

Coming from Große Langgasse, the Ludwigsstraße/Weißliliengasse area will be closed at the following times:

• Friday, June 19, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to Saturday, June 20, 2026, 6:00 a.m.
• Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to Monday, June 22, 2026, 6:00 a.m.
• Monday, June 22, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 6:00 a.m.

Access to the Weißliliengasse, Theater, and Kronberger Hof parking garages is available at all times.

 Drone Light Show – Information and Closure of Theodor-Heuss-Brücke to Traffic

On Monday (June 22, 2026), four days of summer fun will conclude with a drone light show accompanied by music over the Rhine. 

From the Kaisertor to the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke, as well as on the bridge itself and around the Mainzer Kulinarik stage, sound systems will provide the perfect musical backdrop to the light spectacle in the sky, which will be clearly visible high in the sky toward Weisenau from the festival area on the banks of the Rhine. 

Road closures:

• Theodor-Heuss-Brücke: June 22, 2026, from 9:45 PM to 11:30 PM (private vehicles and public transit) 

Note:

The Rheinufergarage, Rheingoldhalle/Rathaus, and Löhrstraße parking garages, as well as the Brand parking garage, will remain accessible this year even during the bridge closure.

Drone Light Show: TH Bridge also closed from the Hessian side   

Please note: Naturally, due to the drone light show, the Theodor-Heuss Bridge will be closed from the Hessian side during the previously mentioned time window (Monday, June 22, 2026, from 9:45 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.) due to the aforementioned closure, the Theodor-Heuss-Bridge will not be accessible from the Hessian side for either private vehicles or public transportation. 

The Road Traffic Authority of the State Capital of Wiesbaden will indicate this accordingly in the Hessian access areas to the elevated roundabout at the Theodor-Heuss-Brücke with appropriate signage and closures. 

Access to the Drone Light Show via Jockel-Fuchs-Platz

• Access for festival visitors via Jockel-Fuchs-Platz will be via a “one-way system” starting at 8:00 p.m.—from the direction of the city center/Brand toward the Rhine riverbank. Jockel-Fuchs-Platz will be closed to the public from this time onward.
• Access to the city center will be available after the drone light show starting around 11:00 p.m. via a “one-way system”—from the stairs at City Hall/the Rhine riverbank across Jockel-Fuchs-Platz toward the city center.

This regulation applies only to Jockel-Fuchs-Platz and the stairs there leading to the Rhine riverbank. All other access routes to the Rhine riverbank will remain open in both directions as usual (including Weintor, Holztor, Fischtorplatz, the underpass to the City Hall underground parking garage, the traffic light at Kurfürsten-Zyklus, Schlosstor, etc.).

Traveling by Public Transportation

For the Mainz Johannisnacht from June 19 to 22, 2026, Mainzer Mobilität is increasing service and offering a special discount ticket (valid from Friday to Monday).

Bus detours:

• Ludwigsstraße will be closed from Wednesday, June 17, at 4:00 a.m., until Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 4:00 a.m., for event setup and takedown. Bus routes will be rerouted. 
• Current travel times with special schedules and expanded city transit services are available online on the Mainzer Mobilität website: www.mainzer-mobilitaet.de/johannisnacht or at the RMV Mobility Information Desk at the Mainz Transport Center (Bahnhofplatz 6A, 55116 Mainz, 24-hour phone: 06131 12-7777).

For bus and train trips from Rheinhessen, timetables can be found on the RNN website www.rnn.info 

Traveling by car

If you are unable to use public transportation, please head directly to one of the nearby parking lots or the following parking garages:

• Rheinufer
• City Hall
• Brand
• Löhrstraße
• Kronberger Hof
• Theater
• Römerpassage
• Schillerplatz
• Kaufhof
• Weißliliengasse

Near the Old Town:

• Roman Theater
• Fort Malakoff Park
• CineStar

Parking near the train station:

• CityPort
• Taubertsberg
• Bonifatius Towers

The following applies to pmg parking garages with license plate recognition: Use public transit with the digital KombiTicket from Mainzer Mobilität. More info: www.pmg-mainz.de

Program brochure

The festival program is available at the mainz STORE, city halls, local government offices, museums, and other public locations. Up-to-date information on the program and traffic advisories is available online at www.mainzer-johannisnacht.de