What’s on Kaiserslautern
Barbarossa Festival “Swinging Lautern” 4. – 6. September 2025
With the 2025 edition of “Swinging Lautern”, the advertising association “Kaiser in Lautern”, in cooperation with the city of Kaiserslautern, once again brings an extremely colorful and varied music festival to the shopping streets of the Barbarossa city. During these days, the pedestrian zone is transformed into a late summer party and cultural mile, populated by tens of thousands of visitors.
The top-class musical program promises a wide stylistic range. On the open-air stages on Altenhof, Schillerplatz, in front of Stiftskirche and on Stiftsplatz, guests from near and far will be treated to an international repertoire of swing, blues, boogie, jazz, soul and salsa, rounded off by marching bands parading through the city. There really is something for everyone here.
In addition to the acoustic delicacies, visitors will of course once again enjoy a personal shopping experience in Kaiserslautern with a variety of promotions and offers from the member businesses of the advertising association “Kaiser in Lautern”. All this paired with a great, upbeat ambience that guarantees many hours of the best entertainment and pure joie de vivre. Of course, the little ones are also well catered for with a wide range of games and handicrafts on offer.
And what would the Barbarossa Festival be without its culinary highlights? In white pagoda tents, all kinds of delicacies are offered by renowned gastronomic establishments in the event area for every taste – from sophisticated cuisine to tangible regional delicacies, from fine wines to cocktail bars. In front of the collegiate church you can expect delicacies such as spaghetti with truffles from the Parmesan loaf. Around the collegiate church, the collegiate square, on the Schillerplatz and on the Altenhof the guests can really enjoy and be spoiled all around.
“Lautern tanzt” Dance party in the city!
Latino Summer 2025 gets the city pulsating to the rhythm of the music
The city is kicking off the summer season with the popular “Lautern tanzt” event: In 2025, Kaiserslautern City Management, together with the local dance scene and dance schools, is once again inviting everyone to an unforgettable dance party – under the open sky, right in the city center.
Whether salsa, bachata, or kizomba: hot rhythms, Latin American flair, and pure joie de vivre make the summer evenings on Stiftsplatz the highlight of the city center. Before each party begins, a free dance workshop is offered, where everyone is welcome.
Weather permitting! Event will be canceled in case of rain!
The dance evenings take place from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Stiftsplatz
Dates: August 30.
All information about the event series is also available in the “Stadt-KL” app.
Sightseeing tours
So, who was Barbarossa? – certainly not a baker (who has cashed in on this illustrious name), but a powerful emperor of the Middle Ages.
Discover more interesting aspects of Kaiserslautern: a guided tour of the Count Palatinate Hall (with the subterranean passages) and/or walk through the downtown highlights major personages, buildings and events in Kaiserslautern’s multifaceted history.
TOURS IN AUGUST
Jewish traces in Kaiserslautern
The tour first takes you to the Altenhof and the Jewish ritual bath (mikvah). It then continues along the former city fortifications to the synagogue square and the Metzgerturm tower.
Date: Wednesday, August 27, 5:00 p.m.
7 EUR per person / 6 EUR reduced rate
Coffee and cake *NEW*
You are cordially invited to “Coffee & Cake.” Participants will experience how wonderful it is to stroll from café to café in Kaiserslautern and hear all kinds of history and stories along the way.
Registration is binding. Cancellations are possible up to one day in advance.
Date: Friday, August 29, 2:30 p.m.
20 EUR per person
Traces of the Emperor
From the exciting construction of the Imperial Palace, its heyday, the expansion and construction of Casimir Castle, to the destruction and decline of both buildings: the tour of the castle hill and through the underground passage reveals the exciting traces of its eventful history to this day.
Date: Saturday, August 30, 10:30 a.m.
7 EUR per person / 6 EUR reduced
TOURS IN SEPTEMBER
City tour
Kaiserslautern is a wonderful city to explore on foot. Most of the sights are located close to each other. The city tour allows you to learn about the history of Kaiserslautern through selected buildings, stories, and anecdotes. Interested visitors are invited to take a stroll through the more than 750-year-old Barbarossa city. This tour does not include the Pfalzgrafensaal (Palatine Hall) and the underground passages.
Dates: Monday, September 1, 3:00 p.m. (in English)
Wednesday, September 17, 3:00 p.m.
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
Pfalzgrafensaal & passages
The tour begins in the Pfalzgrafensaal of the former Renaissance castle, the city’s state rooms. It then continues into the approximately 70-meter-long underground passages, which bring the history of Kaiserslautern to life.
Dates: Wednesday, September 3, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 6, 11:15 a.m. (in English)
Saturday, September 20, 10:30 a.m.
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
Stumbling Stones – (Un)forgotten Life Stories
The Stumbling Stones are a project by artist Gunter Demnig that has been in existence since 1992. Small memorial plaques, known as stumbling stones, are laid in the ground to commemorate the fate of people who were persecuted, deported, murdered, or driven to suicide during the Nazi era. The walk through the city takes you to individual stumbling stones and other memorials and tells the life stories of former citizens of Kaiserslautern.
Date: Friday, September 5, 3:00 p.m.
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
KL intensive (including underground passage)
The tour begins with a guided tour of the Pfalzgrafensaal (Count Palatine’s Hall) in the former Renaissance castle and a visit to the underground passages. The tour continues on foot with a short walk through the city center.
Date: Saturday, September 6, 10:30 a.m.
10 EUR / 9 EUR reduced
Fritz Walter Tour
125 years of 1. FC Kaiserslautern – to mark this occasion, interested visitors will be taken on a tour following in the footsteps of the club’s greatest legend – Fritz Walter. In the first half, a bus tour through the city center will teach you everything you need to know about the 1954 World Cup winner. The tour will take you from his birthplace to his grave in the main cemetery. His greatest monument, the Fritz Walter Stadium, is the destination for the second half. The FCK Museum documents the unique history of 1. FC Kaiserslautern and brings it to life.
The stadium is only viewed from the outside, admission to the FCK Museum is included.
The meeting point is at the stadium. Registration is binding. Cancellation is possible up to 24 hours in advance.
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2:00 p.m.
19 EUR / 17 EUR reduced
Hidden traces of Lautern’s brewing history
Former beer gardens, ice cellars, and air-raid shelters tell the exciting story of Lautern’s brewing tradition. Tasting included. Sturdy shoes and a good flashlight are required. Tours are at your own risk.
Registration is binding. Cancellation is possible up to 24 hours in advance.
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 5:00 p.m.
18 EUR
Experience and enjoy KL
Kaiserslautern is a wonderful city to explore on foot. Most of the sights are close together. This tour tells stories and history, allowing you to experience the past – including surprises and small tastings.
Registration is binding. Cancellation is possible up to 24 hours in advance.
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 5:00 p.m.
16 EUR
On the historical trail of the military in Kaiserslautern – NEW –
Welcome to K-Town – a city walk with Michael Geib. Kaiserslautern is known worldwide as “K-Town.” Like hardly any other city in Germany, it was changed by the military after World War II. The US armed forces in particular continue to shape the municipality and its surrounding area to this day. But the French occupation is also still visible today.
Michael Geib, former director of the Docu Center Ramstein, invites you to join him on an entertaining and informative two-hour tour through downtown Kaiserslautern. Historical photos and eyewitness accounts bring the past to life.
The tour lasts about two hours.
Dates: Friday, September 12, 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 18, 3:00 p.m.
10 EUR / 9 EUR reduced
Fountain tour through the city center
From draw wells to decorative fountains. Kaiserslautern and water are inseparable. The tour tells stories about the fountains in the city center.
Date: Saturday, September 13, 10:30 a.m.
7.00 EUR / 6.00 EUR reduced
Legend walk
Starting at the Imperial Palace, the tour leads through Lautern’s former upper town. The protagonist is a high medieval lady from the nearby Sterrenberg Castle, whose legendary story invites you on a journey into the past. Excitement is guaranteed!
The meeting point is at Willy-Brandt-Platz.
Date: Sunday, September 14, 2:00 p.m.
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
Cemetery tour
The tour of the main cemetery takes you to magnificent tombs and important figures in the city’s history.
The meeting point is at the funeral hall at the Donnersbergstraße entrance.
Men are asked to bring head coverings.
Dates: Sunday, September 21, 2:00 p.m. (in English)
Friday, September 26, 3:00 p.m. (old cemetery)
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
Lauter(er) Kleinode – The unknown monument zone
Villas, town houses, the trade museum, all built in the second half of the 19th century, form a monument zone in the north of the city that is unparalleled in Kaiserslautern. This is where Kaiserslautern’s prominent citizens lived, so the tour combines city, family, and industrial history. During the two-hour walk, interested participants will learn about the magnificent, the pompous, the serious, and the hidden.
Date: Friday, September 26, 4:00 p.m.
10 EUR / 9 EUR reduced
The historic center – a discovery tour around the collegiate church
Rediscover the old center of the city. Around the former monastery complex are historic buildings and institutions of significance, some of which are hidden: the Adlerapotheke pharmacy, the Manufakturhaus, the so-called beautiful fountain, and the former Jewish quarter including the mikvah. After a short tour, we will of course take a look inside the collegiate church.
Date: Saturday, September 27, 10:30 a.m.
7 EUR / 6 EUR reduced
Unless otherwise stated, the meeting point is always in front of the Tourist Information.
Discounts are available for schoolchildren, students, trainees up to the age of 25 and severely disabled people with a disability of 70 percent or more.The Tourist Information Office (telephone 0631 3654019) requests advance booking for all guided tours.
Fruchthalle Kaiserslautern
Tickets for concerts at the Fruchthalle Kaiserslautern are available from:
Tickets – 19.00 euros (reduced 13.00 euros) for all seats are only available in advance at the Tourist Information Office, Fruchthallstraße 14, Tel. (0631) 365-2316 or at the box office. The ticket entitles the holder to a return journey on the day of the event until 3:00 a.m. the following day on all public transport (with DB: RE, RB and S-Bahn, in the Rhine-Neckar transport network (VRN), 2nd class).
Wochenmarkt Kaiserslautern
Welcome to the Kaiserslautern weekly market – Every Tuesday and Saturday on Stiftsplatz and on Thursdays in the Königstraße. From 07:00 to 13:30 you will find everything your heart desires. Fresh food from fruit, cheese, vegetables and sausages to fish and baked goods as well as flowers and plants. Or simply have a nice chat about the weather, world events and the football.
Garbage Guide for the City of Kaiserslautern 2025
Ernst Gabriel Once again in 2025, Stadtbildpflege Kaiserslautern (City Image Maintenance) has published a waste management booklet for English-speaking citizens who live in the Kaiserslautern city area. The 32 page Garbage Guide offers information on proper disposal, reuse, and avoidance of waste.
The A5 booklet provides addresses and opening hours of the municipal recycling centers, guidance on waste disposal dates published in the Stadtbildpflege app and website, as well as locations and dates for hazardous waste disposal. The booklet also gives an illustrated overview of correct waste separation.
The 2025 Garbage Guide for the City of Kaiserslautern is available for you to take away from the municipal recycling centers, the Rathaus city hall and the Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern (municipal utilities). An online version can be downloaded from the Stadtbildpflege website at www.stadtbildpflege-kl.de.
Wadgasserhof
Biergarten Wadgasserhof (c)Stadt KL Inviting Beer Garden at the Wadgasserhof
In the summer months the inner courtyard of the Wadgasserhof with its beer garden invites visitors to linger in its historical ambience.
Sitting under the old chestnut tree, enjoy drinks and food from the neighboring Vietnamese restaurant Pho Viet. Opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Monday is a day off.
The exhibitions in the Wadgasserhof and the Theodor Zink Museum can be visited during the opening hours of the City Museum. These are Wednesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00. Admission to special exhibitions is 5.00 euros, reduced 2.50 euros, the visit to the permanent exhibition is free.
Wadgasserhof, Steinstrasse 55, 67653 Kaiserslautern
Tel: 0631 365-2326
Pfalzgalerie
Photo: © Stadt Kaiserslautern Pfalzgalerie, Museumsplatz 1, 67657 Kaiserslautern
Tel.: 0631 3647201
Tuesday: 11:00 – 20:00, Wednesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00, Closed Mondays
The Museum Palatine Gallery in Kaiserslautern was founded in 1874 as a museum of Trades and Crafts. The museum building was constructed from 1875 to 1880. Today, its main focus is on painting and sculpture from the 19th to 21st centuries.
The permanent collection includes: our friends. Abstract American Art from a Private French Collection
Theodor Zink Museum
Photo: © Stadt Kaiserslautern Theodor Zink Museum, Steinstr. 48, 67657 Kaiserslautern
Tel. 0631 365-2327
www.theodor-zink-museum.de
Tuesday to Friday: 9 am to 5 pm;
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am to 6 pm;
Closed Monday
Guided tours by telephone arrangement
Permanent Exhibition: Kaiserslautern – Time Pictures from Ten Millennia
Times of Opening: Wednesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 6pm, Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Documentation – Stations of a Municipal Museum
From the History of the Theodor Zink MuseuEmmerich Smola School of Music and Music Academy
Kaiserslautern Zoo
The Kaiserslautern Zoo is a popular destination located in Siegelbach in the northwestern outskirts of the city’s suburbs: an oasis of tranquility where you discover nature, and learn interesting details about the kingdom of animals.
KAMMGARN Kaiserslautern
The Kammgarn is one of the top venues in Germany and for years has been an internationally respected, first-call concert hall for pop, rock, hip-hop, rap, indie, jazz, blues, comedy, cabaret, punk, goth, infotainment and more.
“The SNUG” Irish Pub
Kaiserslautern’s funnest place to be
Opened in August 2013 in the location of former Irish Pub, Thursty Nellys, it has been totally transformed by new manger, Lisa Muehlberger.
K1 HIGH ROPES Course Fröhnerhof
The attraction in the Palatinate forest
Climbing Fun – Up the trees
A wonderful piece of nature, healthy trees, a few loads of building wood, many meters of steel and the enthusiasm you bring along – discover for yourself the purest joy of climbing! The courses consist of exercises which make the way from one platform to the next a genuine adventure, with obstacles made from cables, swings, rope bridges and wooden bridges.
K1 – THE IDEAL DESTINATION FOR; Family tours, School trips, Team-Events , Club and company excursions , Birthday parties, … and of course also for you!
Irish House Kaiserslautern
Spacious pub dedicated to the Irish tradition. Here you can enjoy a Guinness® or Kilkenny® by the crackling fireplace or play a round of pool or darts with friends. The old stucco ceilings are witnesses to the past decades and could tell tales of many a long night. The well-stocked bar offers the right drink not only for whiskey lovers. At least 6 beers always on tap complement by a large selection of bottled beers. Smoke-free house.
EVENTS
Perfect sound and acoustics on three floors, plus a state-of-the-art lighting system. The event room was completely renovated in 2021, and live concerts have been taking place every week since. Whether 30 or 300 visitors, the possibilities offered by the special architecture ensure that every event is a success.
BEER GARDEN
A beautiful old tree population provides guests with plenty of shade in summer to relax with an after-work beer. The small stage on the edge of the Eselsbach stream is used weather permitting for Summer Sunday Sessions. Artists from the region gather here, and the kitchen provides the perfect dishes to accompany the music.
Irish House, Eselsfürth 11, 67657 Kaiserslautern