We’re big fans of Leipzig. Sure, we might be biased, but this city has a way of sparking creativity and curiosity like no other. It’s vibrant, fascinating, and always full of surprises. So, when’s the best time to visit? Honestly, there’s no single perfect moment; Leipzig is worth exploring all year round.
That said, the city’s packed calendar of festivals makes planning your trip a breeze. Whether you’re into music, art, or something totally different, there’s almost always something interesting happening. Anchor your trip around one of these, and you can’t go wrong...
MUSIC
Highfield Festival: One of East Germany’s most important music festivals, Highfield is much like many others in that it was previously focused predominantly on rock, punk and indie. Nowadays it has grown to include hip hop (and particularly Deutschrap) as well. Running every August since the year 2000, if you are looking for a classic summer music festival, this is the one for you!
Bachfest Leipzig: Let’s say you aren’t so much into contemporary music, or you just want to dip a toe into feeling incredibly cultured. Bachfest could be the one. One of history’s greatest composers, Bach spent a significant portion of his career in Leipzig and is, as you would expect, a big part of the city’s rich musical history. This festival showcases world-class performances of his iconic works in a range of stunning historical venues.
Leipziger Jazztage: This one’s for all the real cool cats (Ok, we won’t do that again). Leipzig’s number one Jazz festival typically takes place later in the year than the summer music festivals, and features concerts held over a period of 8 days or so across various locations. With workshops and conversations in addition to the concerts, this festival has something for every jazz enthusiast.
Film & Books
DOK Leipzig: DOK Leipzig is the oldest documentary film festival in the world. Every autumn over the course of a week, a genuinely diverse selection of around 250 films, both documentaries and animated, are shown in numerous cinemas in Leipzig. There’s even a pop-up cinema in Leipzig Central station. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of space for discussion and it’s a great opportunity to meet like minded film fans.
Leipzig Book Fair: We’ve written a little bit about this before, a little while back. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth a mention here though. One of Germany’s biggest and oldest book fairs, it is quite simply put a book lover’s paradise.
Other
We’ve only really scratched the surface with these five, Leipzig is also home to plenty more festivals and celebrations of various kinds. We won’t go into too much detail (maybe that’s for another blog post...) but just a few more that are worth mentioning:
- Leipzig festival of lights
- Turnfest 2025 (International German Gymnastics Festival Leipzig 2025)
- Leipzig Pride/CSD
And where should you stay and rest amidst all this culture, partying and general all round good times? It could only be Pentahotel Leipzig of course...
