Craft Beer & Gourmet Festival Cuxhaven 2026 – Four Days of Beer in the Kurpark

From 1 to 4 October 2026, the Kurpark in Cuxhaven hosts craft beer from near and far. National, international and local breweries and manufacturers set up their stalls, along with street food and live music on the open-air stage in the evenings.

Here are the facts as documented – and a note on where there is no answer yet, so you do not travel with the wrong expectations.

What happens at the festival

For four days the Kurpark in Cuxhaven turns into a beer and food event. On site are national, international and local breweries and manufacturers – named specifically is the Cuxhavener Braumanufaktur Bake Bier as the local representative. Dates, programme and exhibitors come from the event page of Nordseeheilbad Cuxhaven GmbH, as of September 2026.

Alongside the beer there is gourmet street food: handmade burgers, international dishes, fine salads and fresh fish sandwiches. In the evenings live rock music on the large open-air stage sets the mood. If you already know the Kurpark from the wine festival in August, you will find your way around quickly – same park, different season.

What "craft beer" means, and how it differs from mass-produced beer

Craft beer refers to beer from small, independent breweries that work with traditional ingredients and often unusual recipes rather than a handful of standard styles – from hop-forward IPAs to dark stouts. The term originally comes from the US but has since become a common label in Germany too for handcrafted beer specialities.

In general, that means beer from small, independent producers rather than a few big brands. If you usually only drink lager or wheat beer, craft beer typically covers a wider range of styles and flavours than a standard drinks shop offers. Regional or seasonal ingredients tend to show up more often at small breweries than in the standard styles of big brands.

Dates and entry

The festival runs from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October 2026. The official page does not list daily opening hours.

The official page also says nothing about the entry price. Rather than guessing a figure, the honest advice is: check there shortly before you travel.

Food and drink at the festival

Alongside the craft beers from the participating breweries, the festival offers gourmet street food: handmade burgers, international dishes, salads and fresh fish sandwiches are on the menu. That is more than the usual bratwurst stand – if you want to try things out, you can work your way through different cuisines over four days, not just different beer styles.

Family programme on Saturday

If you are travelling with children, Saturday, 3 October is the day to plan around: from 14:30 to 17:00 there is a children's and games festival, followed directly from 17:00 to 18:00 by a kids' disco. The official event page does not list further children's programming; beer, street food and the evening live rock music on the open-air stage are what the page names for the festival as a whole.

Getting there from Otterndorf

From Otterndorf it is around 20 kilometres to the Kurpark in Cuxhaven-Döse, roughly half an hour by car. How getting to Otterndorf works in general, by car, train or bike, is covered in our own article on the subject.

If you want to taste, sort out the journey home first – one person in the group drives, or you check public transport options in advance in the current timetable.

What else to do around it

One obvious destination in Cuxhaven is the Alte Liebe, before heading back to the Kurpark.

Back to the Nordseezimmer

After a few hours among beer stalls, street food and live music, a quiet night is the fitting way to end the day. Both Koje and Koi have their own bathroom, a large 180×200 bed and free WiFi. Handy for festival visitors: self check-in via key box works around the clock – however long the evening at the open-air stage runs, nobody is waiting up for you.