Main Festival

Q: When will the Main Festival 2025 take place?

The Main Fesivalt will take place 01. – 04.08.2025.

Q: What are the opening hours of the Mainfest?

Friday & Saturday12:00 pm - 1:00 amSunday & Monday12:00 pm - 12:00 am

Q: Where will the Main Festival 2025 take place?

The Main Festival takes place at Mainkai, Fahrtor, and Römerberg.

Q: Will the jousting tournament take place again?

Yes, the jousting tournament event will take place on Sunday, 03rd August 2025, from 12:00 pm, in the middle of the Main River, between the Eiserne Steg and Untermain bridges.

Q: Will the 2025 Main Festival fireworks display take place?

The fireworks will start on Monday, 04th August 2025, at 10:00 pm, between the Eiserne Steg and Untermain bridges.

Q: What rides will there be at Mainfest 2025?

A colourful mix of classics and highlights for all ages awaits you at the Mainfest. Here is an overview of the planned attractions: Big rides: Riesenrad 45GeisterhausWellenflugHip-Hop-FlyDisco-Express 2Break DancerAuto-Scooter Children's rides: Little Pirates (Boat trip)VerkehrskindergartenMini-AirportAbenteuerfahrtHighwayBeach JumperCrazy Time 2 All the rides provide the best entertainment on the banks of the Main and on the Römerberg - for visitors of all ages!

Q: Is it possible to reserve seats at the Mainfest 2025?

Yes, you can make reservations in advance at selected food stands: Imbiss Bienmüller (Römerberg)Tel.: +49 178 5830221Sommergarten Hausmann (Mainufer)E-Mail: info@festhalle-hausmann.deSommergarten Roie – Frankfurter Spezialitäten (Mainufer)Tel.: +49 157 54932940E-Mail: manuel@roie.de Early booking is recommended as places are limited.

Q: How do I reach the Main Festival by public transport?

You can reach the Mainfest by taking the underground lines U4 and U5 to the station Dom/Römer. Due to construction work, tram lines 11, 12, and 14 will not be running through the Altstadt route during the Mainfest and therefore cannot be used to travel to the event.

Q: Is it possible to travel to the Main Festival by car?

The address for the sat nav is:Römer - Frankfurt am Main The following multi-storey car parks are in the immediate vicinity: Dom/Römer multi-storey car park, Domstraße 1Hauptwache multi-storey car park, Kornmarkt 10Konstabler multi-storey car park, Töngesgasse 8 Car parks for the event are not available.

Q: Are there disabled parking spaces?

There are disabled parking spaces in the Dom-Römer underground parking garage.

31.07. – 03.08.2026

Fishermen's Jousting FAQ Programme

Tradition and culture at the river Main

Frankfurt celebrates by the river

Once a year, the banks of the Main River in the heart of Frankfurt am Main are transformed into a festival mile full of life, enjoyment and tradition – welcome to the Mainfest. A colourful mix of traditional fairground rides, regional specialities and a diverse cultural programme reflects Frankfurt's special atmosphere and invites visitors to discover, enjoy and celebrate.

A special highlight is the traditional Fischerstechen: dressed in historical costumes, brave participants compete against each other on boats – equipped with padded poles, ready for an exciting competition full of skill and balance.

Against the impressive backdrop of the Main River, the Mainfest becomes an unforgettable experience year after year.

Opening hours

Friday and Saturday: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday and Monday: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am

frankfurt.feiert.feste

Programme

Information about the programme will follow shortly before the festival.

Fishermen's Jousting

The exciting competition on the water!

Experience a spectacular traditional duel on the Main on 3rd August from 12.00 pm! Daring participants in colourful historical costumes compete against each other on wobbly boats in the Frankfurt fisherman's joust - the aim: to push the opponent into the water with a pole!

The fishermen and women compete against each other in four different categories and fight for the

FirmenPokal
MedienPokal
VereinsPokal
MainfestPokal

The respective winners then compete in the grand final for the DreikönigsPokal.

Look forward to exciting duels between the Ferris wheel and candy floss. Who stays dry, who goes swimming? Come along and join in the excitement!

The fishing competition for the DreikönigsPokal at the Mainfest is organised by the Frankfurter Fischer- und Schifferzunft von 945 e.V., DLRG Bezirk Frankfurt e.V. , Schaustellerverband Frankfurt Rhein-Main e.V. and Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main.

Bembel mit Text Fischerstechen am Main Mainfest

The origins of the Fishermen's Jousting

Since the Middle Ages, Frankfurt fishermen have organised a competition on the River Main. The winner was awarded the best stall at the market.

The competition - also known as ‘Schifferstechen’ - originally came from river navigation. Two teams compete against each other in long boats called ‘Nachen’. The aim is to push the opponents off the boat into the water with a long pole. This custom is still practised today as part of the Main Festival.

Impressions

© #visitfrankfurt, Holger Ullmann
© Frankfurter Fischer- und Schifferzunft von 945 e.V.
© #visitfrankfrut, Holger Ullmann
© Frankfurter Fischer- und Schifferzunft von 945 e.V.
© #visitfrankfrut, Holger Ullmann
© Institut für Stadtgeschichte
© #visitfrankfurt, Holger Ullmann
© Institut für Stadtgeschichte

History and character of the Main Festival

Historical roots, living tradition

The origin of the Main Festival is considered to be the consecration of the Church of the Three Kings ("Dreikönigskirche") on 23rd July 1340, from which fishermen and skippers derived their fishing festival.

With the fishing festival they paid homage to "their river and its bounty". They celebrated with "ox on a spit", let wine flow from the Fountain of Justice and enjoyed passion plays performed by schoolchildren in "Himmelreich huts", goose-plucking, duck-catching by fishermen, fireworks and colourful parade rides in processions of four and six along the banks of the River Main.

On the occasion of the inauguration of the new "Old Bridge", people remembered the old Main festivals and once again organised an annual folk festival on the Main. Interrupted by the destruction of the Second World War, the then Lord Mayor Dr Walter Kolb continued the tradition. Construction work required the Main Festival to move briefly to the Ostpark, but when it returned from its exile to the Römerberg and the banks of the River Main in 1973, the Main Festival was able to celebrate a sensational comeback.

Ox on the spit:
A traditional speciality that has been enjoyed since the beginning of the festival.
Wine from the Fountain of Justice:
A unique attraction where wine instead of water flows from one of the city's historical fountains.
Market stalls and fairground rides:
A colourful hustle and bustle with market stalls offering local specialities and handicrafts, as well as fairground rides for young and old.
Fisherman's jousting:
Today's Main Festival has its roots deep in the Middle Ages and was originally established as a fishing festival. To this day, the festival celebrates the old custom of fishing in co-operation with the Schaustellerverband Frankfurt Rhein-Main e.V. and the Frankfurter Fischer- und Schifferzunft.