# Schlossgrabenfest 2027 in Darmstadt: Dates, Tickets and a Place to Stay Near the Tram

> The 27th Schlossgrabenfest takes place from 13 to 16 May 2027, over the Whitsun (Pentecost) weekend, around Darmstadt’s Residenzschloss. What tickets cost, when the gates open and how to get back to your studio by the Orangerie without stress after the last act.

As of: 2026-10-05 · https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/blog/schlossgrabenfest

The **Schlossgrabenfest 2027** runs from Thursday, 13 May, to Whit Sunday, 16 May 2027, right in the centre of Darmstadt around the Residenzschloss (the former royal palace): four days of live music on three festival stages plus a club area. Advance sales are already open, the early-bird festival pass costs €39.98 in the official ticket shop, and children up to and including age 12 get in free (as of Oct 2026).

The festival has no campsite, but you won’t need a tent anyway. When the last song fades out at around half past one, the bass is still humming in your ears, the deposit cup is rattling in your jacket pocket, and instead of a sleeping mat there’s a proper bed waiting for you in Bessungen. Our [studios by the Orangerie](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/#studios) are on tram line 3, which according to the HEAG timetable reaches the Schloss stop in seven minutes. Here’s what you need to know about dates, tickets, stages and getting home.

## When is Schlossgrabenfest 2027 – and what can you expect?
The 27th edition runs from 13 to 16 May 2027 and once again falls on the Whitsun (Pentecost) weekend. Planning further ahead? For 2028 the organiser has announced 1 to 4 June. The Schlossgrabenfest Darmstadt describes itself as “Hesse’s biggest music festival”. It has been held in the heart of the city since 1999, on around 20,000 square metres surrounding the Residenzschloss.

The 2026 figures give you a feel for it: 62 bands and 12 DJs, three festival stages plus a club area, more than 100 food stalls and, according to the organiser, around 150,000 visitors on the festival grounds and in the free-access areas. Acts included Alphaville, Jan Delay & Disko No. 1, Zartmann and Ikkimel. Saturday and Sunday were sold out.

The line-up for Schlossgrabenfest Darmstadt 2027 has not been published yet (as of Oct 2026). The concept stays the same, though: big names, newcomers and lots of regional bands. According to the organiser, around 80 per cent of the bands play their own songs, and half of them come from Darmstadt and the surrounding region. Musically it ranges from rock, pop and indie through hip-hop and rap to singer-songwriter, electro and house. Whether you’re 17 or still have “Forever Young” on vinyl in the cupboard, you’ll find your evening here.

## Tickets: day ticket, festival pass and free entry for children
You need a ticket for the fenced festival grounds, either for a single day or as a festival pass for all four days. Prices rise in stages up to the festival, and the cheapest super-early-bird tier is already gone. At the beginning of October 2026, the official ticket shop was selling the early-bird festival pass for €39.98. Order eight or more at once and you pay €5 less per ticket. Day tickets for 2027 had not been released at that point. When you buy through the festival website, a fee of no more than €2.50 per ticket is added.

- **Children** up to and including age 12 get in free, but only with an adult holding a full-price ticket.

- **Teilhabekarte Darmstadt** (the city’s social-inclusion pass): the day ticket costs €15, the 4-day ticket €25. According to the FAQ, both are available from 1 December at the Darmstadt Shop in the Carree on presentation of the card and ID.

- **Guests with the disability pass markings H, B, Bl or Gl** pay no admission, and neither does their companion. Free tickets are issued on proof at the service point on Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz.

- **Last-minute:** you can still buy tickets online during the festival days. There is also a box office at the service point near Entrance 1. Locally, the FRIZZ Ticketshop (Rheinstraße 30) and the Darmstadt Shop in the Carree sell tickets too, as do EVENTIM outlets across Germany, with their own fees.

Good to know for groups of friends: the festival pass is valid for one person only and can no longer be passed on after the first scan. Without a ticket, according to the organiser, you can still visit the wine festival on Marktplatz and the area around the Weißer Turm (White Tower) on Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz. Anyone buying a festival pass usually plans several nights. Our [seven studios](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/#studios) can be booked from two nights and are set up for up to two people each, with a kitchenette, Wi-Fi and self check-in.

## Programme, stages and club area: how to plan your festival days
The fenced grounds take in Friedensplatz, Karolinenplatz and the stretch between Landgraf-Georg-Straße and Alexanderstraße. That’s where you’ll find the MERCK stage, ECHO stage and Sparkassen stage, while the DJs play in the ENTEGA club area. In 2026 a free-access stage on Marktplatz was added for the first time, where twelve singer-songwriters performed. The organiser publishes the Schlossgrabenfest programme with all set times on its website; in 2026 it was also available as a downloadable schedule.

### Entry and closing times
According to the organiser’s FAQ, ticket checks start at 18:00 on Thursday, 13 May, at 17:30 on Friday, at 16:00 on Saturday and at 15:00 on Whit Sunday. The festival closes at 1:30 every night. The wine festival on Marktplatz opens from 14:00 on Thursday and Friday, and from 11:00 at the weekend. As of Oct 2026 – please double-check the times shortly before the festival.

### Good to know

- Drinks are only served in the Schlossgrabenfest cup, with a €2 deposit. Many people keep it as a souvenir.

- Your own drinks, glass, bicycles, e-scooters and pets are not allowed in. Large backpacks are best left in your room.

- The festival goes ahead in any weather. There are no fireworks; according to the organiser, the money goes into the music programme instead.

- For families: according to the FAQ, the free Volksbank Kinderzeit (kids’ programme) takes place on the festival Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 on Karolinenplatz in front of the ECHO stage.

Our tip for the daily rhythm: sleep in, cook your own lunch, head to the wine festival in the late afternoon and only go onto the grounds when the gates open. [Studio 4](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/studio/4) has a long kitchenette by the window and a large wooden table where you can go through the timetable at your leisure.

## Getting there and back: take the tram instead of hunting for parking
The organiser explicitly recommends public transport. HEAG mobilo and DADINA extend their timetables for the festival, with more frequent services and trips until late at night. According to the FAQ, there will again be a Schlossgrabenfest public transport ticket: up to five people can use buses and trams as often as they like on all four days. The price and special timetable for 2027 had not been published as of October 2026. In addition, there’s the HeinerLiner, HEAG mobilo’s ride-pooling service, which you book via an app.

From the Orangerie stop, line 3 runs without changing to the Schloss stop, in seven minutes according to the regular HEAG timetable. From the main station (Hauptbahnhof), tram lines 2 and 3 and bus lines F and H take you straight to the festival, according to the organiser. And if your legs still have some energy after the last act, simply walk back through the city centre at night to Bessungen.

### Parking and address
There is no single festival address. The official ticket shop gives the venue as “Darmstadt Innenstadt, Karolinenplatz, 64289 Darmstadt”. For your sat nav, enter the Residenzschloss (Residenzschloss 1, 64283 Darmstadt); by public transport, head for the Schloss stop. If you’re coming by car, be aware: in 2026, according to the organiser, the City-Ring (inner ring road) around the palace was fully closed from 17:00 on Thursday at the latest, from 16:00 on Friday, from 14:00 on Saturday and all day on Sunday – please check the times for 2027 before your visit. The city-centre car parks, such as Grafenstraße, Luisen-Center/City Carree, Schlossgarage at the darmstadtium or Ludwigsplatz, had only limited space in 2026. The tram is the more relaxed option.

That pays off after midnight: instead of queuing at the car park pay machine, you’re sitting on the tram. Thanks to self check-in, we have no reception desk that closes at midnight. In [Studio 6](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/studio/6), the rain shower washes off the festival day before you climb into the sleeping nook.

## Extend your festival weekend: Whitsun in Darmstadt
The festival ends on Whit Sunday, leaving Whit Monday for a quiet wind-down. Late risers head to Café LINIE 3 on Ludwigshöhstraße, which according to the owners can be reached by tram 3 to the Orangerie stop. Breakfast is served there until late at night, and on Sundays and public holidays it is open from 9:00 to 24:00 (as of Oct 2026). Afterwards, a stroll through the Orangerie garden fits in nicely – more in our [guide to Bessungen and the Orangerie](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/blog/bessungen-orangerie).

If you arrive on the Wednesday, you can sit in the Schlossgarten before the festival kicks off. This student-run beer garden is on the palace bastion beneath hornbeam trees and, in season from April to September, opens daily from 13:00 in good weather (as of Oct 2026). According to its website, the beer garden posts current information on Instagram; please check in advance whether it opens as usual during the festival. For the nights around the festival, our guide to [Darmstadt nightlife](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/blog/darmstadt-nightlife) is worth a look. Already planning your summer? You’ll find the [Heinerfest](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/blog/heinerfest) and other dates in our overview of [events in Darmstadt](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/blog/events-darmstadt).

Whitsun is a long weekend, and in 2026 the festival Saturday and Sunday were sold out. So secure your ticket and accommodation early. Thursday to Monday is four nights – enough time for stages, brunch and a bit of sightseeing. Ideas for your free hours are on our page about a [short break in Darmstadt](https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/short-break-darmstadt).

## Places
- **Residenzschloss Darmstadt** – Residenzschloss 1, 64283 Darmstadt – approx. 1.5 km from the studios – Centre of the Schlossgrabenfest: stages, stalls and entrances are all around the palace.
- **Marktplatz** – Marktplatz, 64283 Darmstadt – approx. 1.5 km from the studios – Free-entry wine festival; in 2026, for the first time, with a free-access singer-songwriter stage.
- **Karolinenplatz** – Karolinenplatz, 64289 Darmstadt – approx. 1.8 km from the studios – Heart of the fenced grounds with the MERCK and ECHO stages; on Sunday also home to the Volksbank Kinderzeit kids’ programme.
- **Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz** – Ernst-Ludwigs-Platz, 64283 Darmstadt – approx. 1.5 km from the studios – Service point with box office near Entrance 1; the area around the Weißer Turm is free to enter.
- **Haltestelle Schloss** – Haltestelle Schloss, 64283 Darmstadt – approx. 1.5 km from the studios – Festival stop at Marktplatz; according to the organiser, trams 2 and 3 and buses F and H run here from the main station.
- **Haltestelle Orangerie** – Bessunger Straße, 64285 Darmstadt – approx. 0.1 km from the studios – The studios’ stop: line 3 takes you to the festival and back without changing.
- **Schlossgarten – Biergarten am Schloss** – Marktplatz 15, 64283 Darmstadt – Season April–September, daily from 13:00 in good weather (as of Oct 2026) – approx. 1.7 km from the studios – Student-run beer garden beneath hornbeams on the palace bastion; please check in advance whether it opens during the festival.
- **Café LINIE 3** – Ludwigshöhstraße 1a, 64285 Darmstadt – Daily 8:00–24:00, Sundays and public holidays 9:00–24:00 (as of Oct 2026) – approx. 0.2 km from the studios – Breakfast until late at night – just right for Whit Monday after the festival.

## Tips
- Buy your festival pass early: according to the organiser, prices rise until the festival, and the cheapest prices are available directly in the official online shop.
- No need to print: your ticket comes as a PDF or wallet ticket. If you do print it, switch off toner-saving mode, otherwise the QR code may not be readable.
- According to the FAQ, there are cash machines at the Weißer Turm, on Ludwigsplatz and on Luisenplatz. Toilets on the grounds cost €1.
- Check the special timetable and the price of the 2027 Schlossgrabenfest public transport ticket on schlossgrabenfest.de shortly before the festival.

## FAQ
- **When is Schlossgrabenfest 2027?** From 13 to 16 May 2027, i.e. Thursday to Whit Sunday, around Darmstadt’s Residenzschloss. It is the 27th edition; for 2028 the organiser has announced 1 to 4 June.
- **How much are tickets for the Schlossgrabenfest in Darmstadt?** Prices rise in stages up to the festival. In October 2026, the early-bird festival pass for all four days cost €39.98 plus a fee of no more than €2.50. Day tickets for 2027 had not been released yet. Children up to and including age 12 get in free; with Darmstadt’s Teilhabekarte the day ticket costs €15 and the 4-day ticket €25.
- **Where can I park for the Schlossgrabenfest in Darmstadt?** In 2026, according to the organiser, there was limited space in city-centre car parks such as Grafenstraße, Luisen-Center/City Carree or the Schlossgarage at the darmstadtium. The City-Ring around the palace was closed from the afternoon at the latest on all festival days, so the organiser recommends buses and trams with their extended timetable.
- **How late does the Schlossgrabenfest go on at night?** According to the organiser’s FAQ, it closes at 1:30 on all four days (as of Oct 2026). Ticket checks start at 18:00 on Thursday, 17:30 on Friday, 16:00 on Saturday and 15:00 on Sunday.
- **What is the address of the Schlossgrabenfest in Darmstadt?** There is no single festival address – the festival takes place around the Residenzschloss. The ticket shop gives “Karolinenplatz, 64289 Darmstadt”. For your sat nav, use Residenzschloss 1, 64283 Darmstadt; by bus or tram, go to the Schloss stop.
- **Can you camp at the Schlossgrabenfest?** No, the festival has no campsite. If you want to stay overnight, book in town – for example one of our studios by the Orangerie, from where tram 3 runs directly to the Schloss stop.

## Sources
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Startseite mit Rückblick 2026 und Termin 2027 (abgerufen Okt. 2026)](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Termine 2026–2028](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/das-fest/termine/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: FAQ (Einlass, Festende, Gelände, Ermäßigungen, Anreise, Becher, Camping)](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/faq/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Tickets 2027](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/tickets-schlossgrabenfest-2027/)
- [Offizieller Ticketshop Schlossgrabenfest 2027 (Preisstufen, Veranstaltungsort Karolinenplatz, Stand Okt. 2026)](https://ticket.schlossgrabenfest.de/event/schlossgrabenfest-2027-kp9ffk)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Info (seit 1999, 20.000 m², eigene Musik und regionale Bands)](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/das-fest/info/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Historie (Bilanz 2026, Samstag und Sonntag ausverkauft)](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/das-fest/historie/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Anfahrt, Parkhäuser und Sperrung des City-Rings](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/lageplan-anfahrt/anfahrt/)
- [Schlossgrabenfest: Programm (Bühnen und Spielzeiten)](https://www.schlossgrabenfest.de/programm/)
- [HEAG mobilo: Fahrplan Linie 3 (gültig ab 14.12.2025)](https://www.heagmobilo.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Fahrplan_3_14.12.2025.pdf)
- [HeinerLiner (HEAG mobilo)](https://www.heinerliner.de/)
- [Darmstadt Tourismus: Schlossgraben des Residenzschlosses (Adresse Residenzschloss 1)](https://www.darmstadt-tourismus.de/besuch/details/poidetail/residenzschloss-1.html)
- [Schlossgarten Darmstadt: Saison und Öffnungszeiten](https://www.schlossgarten-darmstadt.de/)
- [Schlossgarten Darmstadt: Anfahrt (Marktplatz 15, Bastion an der Nordseite des Schlosses)](https://www.schlossgarten-darmstadt.de/anfahrt.php)
- [Café LINIE 3: Öffnungszeiten (abgerufen Okt. 2026)](http://www.linie3.de/oeffnungszeiten.html)
- [Café LINIE 3: Startseite („Frühstücken von acht bis Nacht“)](http://www.linie3.de/)
- [Café LINIE 3: Anfahrt mit Tram 3 bis Haltestelle Orangerie](http://www.linie3.de/so-finden-sie-uns.html)
- [OpenStreetMap / Nominatim und Overpass (Koordinaten)](https://nominatim.openstreetmap.org/)

Stay: 7 studios in Darmstadt-Bessungen – https://darmstadt-ferienwohnung.de/en/index.html.md