Heidelberg Events
German-American Friendship Festival
From 14 – 25 May 2026, the popular German-American Friendship Festival invites you to celebrate and have fun.
The German-American Friendship Festival in Heidelberg is a true crowd-puller. From 14 – 25 May 2026, it will once again attract thousands of visitors to the Airfield, located between the districts of Kirchheim and Pfaffengrund. The festival commemorates the decades-long presence of U.S. armed forces in Heidelberg and the partnership that grew from it.
In addition to numerous rides and attractions such as roller coasters, chain carousels, and a ferris wheel, visitors can enjoy a varied program with different live bands and U.S. sports clubs. On the first and last days, visitors can enjoy a fantastic fireworks display. In addition to the popular Family Day, featuring reduced prices and a programme for children, there will be two US car meets (17 and 24 May), Cosplay Day (23 May) and two line dance parties (17 and 24 May).
On-site parking costs € 3.50.
Heidelberg Rowing Regatta
Several hundred boats compete in exciting races © Heidelberg Marketing, photo by Tobias Schwerdt
Every year, clubs and racing teams from southern Germany and across Europe take part in the Heidelberg Rowing Regatta, organized by the Heidelberger Regattaverband e.V.
On 16 and 17 May 2026, the 92nd edition will see several hundred boats take to the water to compete on the Neckar. Race distances range from 350 to 1,500 meters, and participants are between 12 and 85 years old.
Exciting races are guaranteed, and it’s well worth watching – especially as food and drinks will be available along the banks of the Neckar. In addition, the races will be broadcast live on a large screen from a bird’s-eye view.
Rowing has long been an integral part of Heidelberg’s sporting scene, with the history of the Heidelberger Regattaverband e.V. dating back to the late 19th century.
The new Valerieweg footbridge
The newly reconstructed Valeriewegsteg in Heidelberg © Heidelberg Marketing, photo Eva Bruce
After extensive construction work, the Valeriewegsteg near the historic Altes Karlstorbahnhof in Heidelberg’s Old Town has been completely rebuilt and is now open to the public.
This pedestrian bridge, which connects Heidelberg’s Old Town railway station with the Valerieweg and the Königstuhl hill, has been reconstructed to match the original. It now shines in new splendor and stands as a successful example of how tradition and modern infrastructure blend into Heidelberg’s cityscape.
Crossing the bridge takes visitors onto the Valerieweg, following in the footsteps of Valerie, daughter of Austrian Empress Elisabeth (“Sissi”). The path winds its way past rugged granite cliffs, leading uphill to the Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg, where it meets the Elisabethenweg.
Empress Elisabeth and her daughter Valerie visited Heidelberg several times for extended stays between 1883 and 1890.
Did you know …
…what the “Hackteufel” is?
Romantic Steingasse, home to the Hackteufel restaurant © Heidelberg Marketing, photo by Philipp Rothe
As the story goes, one Pentecost the devil came to the Neckar valley in search of souls. Standing on a rock by the river, he delivered his Pentecost sermon and promised the people along the banks abundant catches of fish and protection from flooding. Curious, some Heidelberg residents climbed up the rocky path. But then the bells of the Church of the Holy Spirit rang out through the valley: “Don’t believe him… don’t believe him…!” – and the people climbed into their rafts and set off for church instead.
Enraged, the devil hurled boulders after them, which came to rest in the riverbed. To this day, the resulting dangerous shallow between the lock and the Old Bridge is known as the “Hackteufel.”
The name “Hackteufel” was later given to an inn in Steingasse.
Did you know …
… that the Bunsen burner was invented in Heidelberg?
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen, born on March 30, 1811 in Göttingen, died on August 16, 1899 in Heidelberg, was a German chemist. Together with Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, he discovered caesium and rubidium in 1861 and developed spectral analysis, which can be used to detect chemical elements in a highly specific manner. For this purpose, Bunsen perfected a particular gas torch, which had previously been invented by Michael Faraday and would later be called the Bunsen burner. During his time at the University of Heidelberg, Bunsen taught well over 3,000 students. In his honor, a statue was erected in the anatomy garden.
You can even take a Bunsen tour of Heidelberg.
One of his students was the chemist Henry Roscoe. About Robert Bunsen, he said: “As an investigator, he was great. As a teacher, even greater. As a man and friend, he was greatest.”
Did you know …
Charles Francois de Graimberg (1774 – 1864) in a portrait by Guido Schmitt, 1902 © Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg
… that a Frenchman, Charles de Graimberg, saved the Heidelberg Castle ruins?
Charles de Graimberg came to Heidelberg in 1810 to make copperplate engravings of the castle ruins and the town – and remained in Heidelberg until his death in 1864. Back then, he was shocked to discover that the people of Heidelberg were using the ruins as a quarry for their houses and the castle garden as a potato field. Furthermore, a contract had already been signed with a demolition company.
He campaigned for the preservation of the ruins with personal commitment and his own money, paid guards, even took up residence in the castle and his copperplate engravings made Heidelberg known to a broad public. He was successful.
And so, thanks to Charles de Graimberg, we can still marvel at this world-famous symbol of Romanticism today.
Did you know …
The Heidelberg Town Hall carillon was inaugurated in 1961 © City of Heidelberg
… that Heidelberg’s Town Hall has its own carillon?
The carillon at Heidelberg’s Town Hall is one of the city’s most charming landmarks – a musical symbol and a living piece of local history. Made up of 26 finely cast bronze bells from the renowned Schilling Bell Foundry in Heidelberg, the carillon has been enchanting the Old Town for over 60 years with its distinctive sound.
It was officially inaugurated on 10 December 1961, and since then, it has played a three-minute melody three times a day – at 11:55 a.m., 3:55 p.m., and 6:55 p.m. With a selection of around 50 programmed tunes across five seasonal and thematic categories – summer, Advent, Christmas, „secular“, and a May programme – the carillon is a musical companion throughout the year.
The largest bell weighs 60 kilograms and lays the foundation for the melodies, while the full set of bells together weighs a solid 800 kilograms.
Did you know …
The founding document of Heidelberg University from 1386 © Photo by Steffen Schmid
… that the founding document of Heidelberg University is still preserved?
Prince Elector Rupert I founded Heidelberg University in 1386. He established it with papal approval in his residence city. The founding rector was the Dutchman Marsilius von Inghen, who came to Heidelberg from the University of Paris.
It is now the oldest university in Germany and, at the time, was the third university in the Holy Roman Empire, after Prague and Vienna – but unlike the other two, it was already a full university with faculties of medicine, law, theology, and philosophy.
The founding document, dated October 01, 1386, specified that the new university should be organized after the model of Paris. It has been preserved to this day and is one of the treasures of the University of Heidelberg’s archive.
Did you know …
… that Heidelberg is the most sustainable city in Germany?
The latest city ranking by business magazine WirtschaftsWoche concludes that Heidelberg is the most sustainable and future-oriented city in Germany.
Among other things, Heidelberg impresses with its passive house district Bahnstadt, the new energy storage facility in Pfaffengrund and the lowest youth unemployment rate.
Furthermore, the ranking highlights the high value that science and research, education and training have for Heidelberg. Every fifth euro in the city’s budget is invested for the benefit of children and young people, and around 70% of employees in Heidelberg work in knowledge-intensive services.