The autumn and wine festivals in Radebeul and Meissen are your chance to discover the great variety of wines from Saxony. Here you have many opportunities to sample the fine wines and meet the winemakers in person. From festival parades to theatre and music to pyrotechnic shows, an exciting weekend awaits.
Just a stone’s throw from Dresden is the city of Radebeul. Every year on the last weekend in September, the historic district of Altkötzschenbroda turns into a colourful festival mile with lots of offerings around the subject of wine. Small wine villages, cosy vineyards and quaint wine estates are waiting for you. Here you can enjoy a glass of wine or Federweißer and converse with the local winemakers.
What makes this event really special is the combination of wine and culture. As part of the wine festival, theatre groups from all over the world meet for the International Wandering Theatre Festival. On numerous stages, you can experience humorous, entertaining and socially critical productions by international groups and solo artists. In addition to the theatrical arts, song and dance also make for perfect entertainment.
The motto of this year’s event is “Youth Dreams”. Young and old are invited to dream and to realise their dreams. The festival gets started on 27 September with a colourful opening parade. The many international bands create a fantastic atmosphere every evening so you can have fun on the dance floor until late into the night. A particularly magical moment is the highlight on Sunday evening when a sculpture garden by artist Richard von Gigantikow goes up in flames on the banks of the Elbe. The impressive fire display celebrates the end of the three-day wine festival. An overview of the individual performances and programme events is available at https://www.weinfest-radebeul.de/
From 27 to 29 September, the town of Meissen is also setting up a large festival area with more than 30 venues including a funfair at the fairgrounds as well as various stages offering a wide musical programme. From waltz to folk, from pop to rock, everyone will get their money’s worth here. Countless courtyards and cellars are open to the public where you can enjoy and buy regional wines.
The wine festival is opened on Friday by the mayor of Meissen together with the “wine majesties” on the big stage at the market square. A large parade is held on Sunday with festively decorated floats by local winemakers, clubs and businesses. Stand at the side of the street with a glass in your hands and it will be filled by the passing winegrowers. An overview of the event as well as the festival programme can be found here: http://www.meissner-weinfest.de/programm.html
The festival concludes with a fantastic fireworks display over the Elbe on Sunday evening.