Johannisnacht Mainz

From June 20 to 23, 2025, right in the heart of Mainz!

More than 55 years ago, Johannisnacht in Mainz was created to honor Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type printing and will this year once again offer a rich selection of art, concerts and creative activities. 
During the festival days in the city center and along the Rhine, there will be a varied program for all age groups, including street art, stage performances by Mainz bands and guests from all over Germany. The book and artists’ market, the traditional Gautschen, a custom for welcoming printers and media designers into the guild, and the sailing regatta are fixed components of the program. Johannisnacht also offers a variety of rides and hands-on activities in the spirit of Gutenberg.

Gutenberg, history and customs

In 1968, the year of the 500th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg’s death, Karl Delorme, then head of the social affairs department and himself a trained printer, launched the folk festival. Since then, the memory of the great inventor Johannes Gutenberg has been celebrated.

Since the Johannisnacht is dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg and his ingenious invention of the printing press, the festivity pays homage to medieval folklore. One of the most popular events is the so-called “Gautschen”, a medieval custom where people are forcefully “baptised” in a large barrel of water. Back during Gutenberg’s days, this custom was performed to symbolically cleanse young printers of the sins of their apprentice years. Today, this splashy ritual takes place in front of an audience on the Gutenberg stage with people from printing-related jobs being baptized. Beware – the water is ice-cold! 

Another throwback in time is a game of dice called Preisquadräteln, which was popular with printers in the Middle Ages. Special: the Gutenberg Museum has invited the well-known YouTuber, journalist and TV presenter Mirko Drotschmann, known to many as MrWissen2go, to open St John’s Night 2025.

Carousels and art, concerts and culinary delights

Street artists
Look forward to a colourful programme of talented artists. ‘Bubbles for fun’ presents its skills and shows its creative giant soap bubble show. Musical entertainment will be provided by the bagpipe players from Moguntia Pipes & Drums, the Sunshine Coconuts and the street dance group ‘NOSOUNDEXPERIENCE’ from Freiburg. The Zebra Stilt Theatre promises an entertaining performance with impressive costumes made especially for Mainz under the motto ‘Typography’. Jörn Kölling will also be taking up the Gutenberg theme. He will be performing a depiction of Gutenberg’s life on his theatre bicycle.

Artists’ market and creativity
Johannisnacht stretches along the banks of the Rhine from the Kaisertor to the Weintor and from Fischtorplatz via Liebfrauenplatz to Schillerplatz. In addition to carousels and other rides, there is an artists’ market along the banks of the Rhine. The market offers handmade products and a variety of creative ideas in the areas of jewellery, clothing, decoration and gifts.

In addition, you can visit the book market on the Schillerplatz and Ballplatz squares, where you can browse through a large selection of antique books. 

Sailing regatta and running event
Sports enthusiasts can watch the regatta on the Rhine or strap on their running shoes and take part in the Johannisnacht run, which crosses the river three times – hence its name “Drei-Brücken-Lauf” (fully booked).

A perfect mix of theatre, live music and cabaret
Apart from street art and medieval folklore, you can enjoy theatre performances, cabaret and fools on the many squares of the city or listen to lots of live music on the many stages in the city centre. 
 
Family fun along the Rhine
The riverside around the Kurfürstliches Schloss offers an amusement park featuring a merry-go-around for children, a Ferries wheel and fast and fun rollercoasters for all ages. A variety of booths provides food and drinks, including first-class local wines. At night, the whole area is illuminated.

Johannisnacht 2025: drone light show as the grand finale

With Mainz’s Johannisnacht, the city celebrates its greatest son, the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg. In the year of his 625th birthday, there will be a premiere: for the first time, a drone light show over the Rhine will mark the grand finale on Monday evening.

Considerations to offer a more sustainable and modern alternative to the Johannisnacht fireworks have been around for some time. “The 625th anniversary of Gutenberg is a great opportunity to thrill the audience on the riverbank for the first time with a drone light show over the Rhine on Johannisnacht Monday,” said Mayor Nino Haase. The mayor does not want to go into detail yet: “This is also a first for us, and we want the show to be a surprise, so we won’t reveal any details yet, except to say that we want the show to be a tribute to Gutenberg and his city of Mainz written in the sky.”

Opening Hours

Opening hours are related to the festival at large. Separate booths may open or close differently. 

City, fair, Mainzer Kulinarik am Rhein:
Friday, 20 June 2025: 12 am to 1 am
Saturday, 21 June 2025: 11 am to 1 am
Sunday, 22 June 2025: 11 am to midnight
Monday, 23 June 2025: 12 am to midnight

Please note: The stands on the banks of the Rhine (Rheinvergnügen fair) do not open until 2.00 pm on Friday and Monday.

Artists’ market: Rhine bank, Fischtor
Friday, 20 June 2025: 2 pm to 1 am
Saturday, 21 June 2025: 11 am to 11 pm
Sunday, 22 June 2025: 11 a.m. to 10 pm
Monday, 23 June 2025: 2 a.m. to 11 pm

Book market: Ballplatz, Schillerplatz
Saturday, 21 June 2025: 11 am to 10 pm
Sunday, 22 June 025: 11 am to 10 pm
Monday, 23 June 2025: 11 am to 10 pm