Festival Style in Germany

Outfit guides for 14 German festivals, from Cologne Carnival to Oktoberfest.

14Festivals
13Cities
February–SeptemberSeason

Germany has 14 festivals in this guide, spread across 13 cities. They run in February, April, June, July, August and September, and festival-day temperatures range from 7°C (45°F) to 25°C (77°F), with nights down to 2°C (36°F). That range is the reason there is no single "Germany festival outfit". The answer changes by month and by site.

2 sit below 16°C, where the outer layer effectively is the outfit. 5 carry a high rain risk, which makes waterproof footwear a requirement rather than a precaution.

The ground matters as much as the sky. You will find city streets, industrial site, open field, beach and city park, which puts waterproof boots at the top of the list for most of these events. 10 of the 14 have camping on site, so outfits have to survive living in a bag on the ground for several days.

Stylistically the crowd here leans camping, costume, techno and rock. Oktoberfest is the largest of them at around 6,000,000 people, and it sets the tone the smaller ones react to. None of that is a dress code. It is what you will see, which is worth knowing if you would rather blend in or deliberately not.

Festival dressing in Germany: FAQ

It depends on which one and when. Festival days in Germany range from 7°C (45°F) to 25°C (77°F), with nights down to 2°C (36°F), so a light base plus one carryable warm layer covers most of them. 5 of these festivals have a high rain risk, so add a packable shell and waterproof footwear for those.

The festivals in this guide run in February, April, June, July, August and September. Exact dates are set by the organisers each year. Check the official site of the festival you are going to before booking travel.

Down to about 2°C (36°F) at the coldest of these festivals. That is cold enough that a jacket you can carry all day is worth the inconvenience.

10 of the 14 festivals listed here have camping on site: Fusion Festival, Rock am Ring, Hurricane Festival, Wacken Open Air, Splash! Festival, Parookaville, Summerjam, Deichbrand, Nature One, Sonne Mond Sterne. Camping changes what you pack. Outfits in sealed sets, separate sleep clothes, and a second pair of dry shoes.

Waterproof boots for the field sites, and never anything new. You will walk 15.000 to 30.000 steps a day, and footwear is the only garment that can end your weekend early.