Things to do in Dresden

24 activities, venues and outings in Dresden, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Bunte Republik Neustadt (BRN)
"Colourful Republic Neustadt"
A massive yearly street festival that consumes the Neustadt part of Dresden in June. The festival consists of many stages featuring local musicians of different styles. The festivities run very late into the night with plenty of booths offering a wide variety of food and drink. If you plan to overnight, it is advisable to book accommodation outside of the Neustadt area during BRN.
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Dresden Monarchs
American Football - German Football League. Founded in 1992 they are the only "true eastern" (i.e. apart from Berlin) American Football team to play in the first division. A first division team since 2002 they have made the playoffs every year since 2003 with exceptions of 2007 and 2011. They lost the final of 2013 by one point - which remains their biggest success as of 2015. The season starts around May and the playoffs are in September. They play most of their home games in Heinz Steyer Stadion right across the street from Yendize. In most seasons at least one game is held in the "big stadium" where Dynamo usually plays. Expect more announcements than usual for this game in particular. Occasional games, all youth games and some special events are also held at their training grounds at in Neustadt.
Usually Sat 15:00
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Dynamo Dresden
One of the best soccer teams of what was East Germany, they have been struggling on and off the field. They were relegated in 2020 and now play soccer in the Second Liga, but are still fervently loved by their fans who have a sort of rowdy reputation in other parts of Germany. Their home stadium (capacity 32,000) is 1 km southeast of city centre.
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Elberadweg
Elbe Cycle Route
Do a bicycling tour on this popular cycle route along the Elbe river that offers spectacular views. The Elberadweg is a 1220-km-long cycleway, and within Dresden it follows the Elbe river on both sides from the very southeast to Niederwartha in the very northwest.
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Filmnächte
A huge movie screen offers cinema (in German) in a beautiful setting and there are also many concerts with popular stars. Again, it is the biggest event of its kind in Europe!
June to August
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Hechtfest
This annual three-day alternative street festival in Dresden's trendy Hechtviertel district offers dozens of street and backyard concerts, street raves, food stands, flea market, art and interactive performances, and attracts thousands of visitors from Dresden and beyond. The festival spans all streets in the Hechtviertel, with Rudolf-Leonhard-Straße and Hechtstraße being the main arteries.
3rd weekend of August
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Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
Wettiner Platz 13
The music conservatoire hosts regular concerts and events at various venues.
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Ostrale
One of Germany's biggest expositions of contemporary art, the Ostrale was begun in 2007 on the Ostragehege, a former abattoir. The area is located on a peninsula created by the river Elbe, and is in the heart of the former world heritage site. The buildings are in strong need of restauration, which means that it is unclear whether the next exposition can return to these original grounds. This is amongst the reasons the organizers have decided to change it into a biennial starting with the 2017 exposition. In the years without an exposition in Dresden, the Ostrale will be guest in foreign cities.
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Paddle-Steamer Tour
Best start your tour from the main pier at the castle and go down to Meissen or up to Pillnitz or Saxon Switzerland.
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Roller Blade Night
Dresdner Nachtskaten
Various Roller Blade routes through the city on selected Fridays from April to September, roughly 20 km. Great fun and participation is free - you can rent rollerblades for €5.
Fri 21:00-23:00Free
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Stauseebad Cossebaude
Stausee Niederwartha
On hot summer days, go swimming or windsurfing at this public bathing pool at the Stausee Niederwartha reservoir. Also includes a long waterslide and beach volleyball courts.
Adults €4.00, children €2.20
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Theaterruine St. Pauli
This ruin of a former Lutheran church that was bombed out in World War II is used as a theatre and concert venue nowadays and represents the cultural centre of the Hechtviertel district.
Do Not mapped
Audio tour: Jewish life in Dresden 1933-1945
Download the free map and audio tracks (in English) and take yourself on a walk covering the history of Jewish life in Dresden from 1933 to 1945. You will need several hours.
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Canaletto Dresden Stadtfest
This very well organized 3-day festival encompasses much of the Innere Altstadt and parts of Neustadt. There are hundreds of food and drink booths, representing a very wide variety of German and international cuisine from 6 continents, loads of products and services on offer, many carnival rides, several stages with musical performances (consider bringing earplugs for the volume), and a great fireworks show at the end. It's very pretty to see tall rides lit up near the banks of the Elbe. Canaletto estimates that 600,000 people attended the 2026 festival. The 2027 festival is scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 August 2027.
In August
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Dixieland Festival
Europe's biggest jazz festival. It normally takes place in the second week of May and attracts bands and visitors from all over Europe, America and the rest of the world. A great deal of the music is played on the top decks of paddleboats in front of the Old Town.
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Dresden Night of Museums
Museumsnacht Dresden
An annual event opening many museums for one night (between 18:00 and 24:00). The ticket gives access to all participating museums, and provides free public transport.
At the end of June/beginning of JulyAdults €13, reduced €9, under 6 free
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Dresden Philharmonic
Dresdner Philharmonie
Orchestra founded in 1870. Their main venue is in the Kulturpalast, the principal conductor is Donald Runnicles.
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Filmfest Dresden
International Short Film Festival
Short movies are shown throughout the cinemas of Dresden with entrants from a variety of countries, most of them with German or English subtitles.
In April
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Ice skating at the JoyNext Arena
Indoor and outdoor, daily from the end of October to beginning of March. Skate rental available. "Ice Disco" with a DJ on Saturday evenings.
Adults €4.50, children €3.50, €6 for ice disco
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KlangNetz-Dresden
A network of orchestras, musicians and ensembles organizing concerts with a focus on new music.
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Striezelmarkt
One of Germany's oldest Christmas Markets. Located at the Altmarkt, all kinds of stalls selling among other things mulled wine (Glühwein) - delicious! Expect to pay a deposit for the mug/glass. Expect crowded streets and traffic jams. Avoid driving in the inner city around that time if you can to preserve your sanity. There are plenty of other Christmas markets in Dresden, including the medieval market at the Stallhof.
From the end of November until Christmas
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Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Referred to colloquially as the Staatskapelle Dresden, it is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, founded in 1548. Its home venue is the Semperoper. The principal conductor is Daniele Gatti.
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Dresdner Eislöwen
Ice hockey - Second National League.
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Dresdner SC
Volleyball women - First National League.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Dresden (CC BY-SA 4.0).