Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH (IkUM) has once again put together a varied programme for the upcoming Red Wine Festival. From 27 September to 5 October, there will be nine days of colourful festivities with wine experiences, live music, fairground rides and a varied children's programme. The Red Wine Festival 2025 will kick off on Saturday, 27 September at 4 p.m. with the coronation of the new Red Wine Queen Laura Schlösser. Afterwards, the festival grounds in the historic Burgkirchen area will open with live music on several stages, an attractive amusement park and a wide range of Ingelheim wines and culinary delicacies.
The traditional festival around the Ober-Ingelheim Burgkirche has a few premieres to offer in 2025: Guests can look forward to the Ferris wheel wine tasting on Wednesday, 1 October, at 6 p.m. The wine tasting at lofty heights will be commented on by the Ingelheim red wine majesties via microphone from the ground. This year also marks the premiere of the strolling wine tasting, which will take place on Sunday, 28 September, Monday, 29 September and Tuesday, 30 September, across the festival grounds. Accompanied by the Ingelheim red wine royalty, high-quality wines will be tasted at four different stands starting at 6 p.m. each day. Another new addition to the programme is ‘Silent Monday’ on 29 September, when there will be no music on the festival grounds in the evening hours starting at 8 p.m.
This year, visitors can take part in a wine quiz at the red wine fountain in the wine shop for the first time. Blind tastings will be offered on both Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. Festival guests can put their wine expertise to the test in this tricky quiz. Of course, the red wine fountain at the Ingelheim wine shop invites visitors to taste and discover high-quality wines from Ingelheim on all nine days of the festival.
Another new feature at the 2025 Red Wine Festival is that, for the first time, all food stands will use a uniform deposit system. Following a successful trial run at the harbour festival, reusable tableware will now also be used at the largest folk festival in the red wine town. The aim of IkUM is to significantly reduce the amount of waste at the festival site and conserve valuable resources.
As an additional offer from the Tourist Information Office and the Ingelheim Wine Shop, the popular ‘GPS Wine Walk’ will be offered in a special Red Wine Festival edition. The tour leads from the wine cellar in Nieder-Ingelheim to the Red Wine Festival grounds in Ober-Ingelheim – concluding with a glass of wine at the red wine fountain of the Ingelheim Wine Shop.
A musical highlight is scheduled for Tuesday, 30 September, at 8 p.m. The Queen cover band ‘Rockfonie’ will take the audience on a musical journey through time in the festival tent, following in the footsteps of the legendary rock band ‘Queen’. The audience can look forward to an electrifying live performance with unforgettable hits and timeless anthems. The band's set list ranges from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to ‘We Will Rock You’ to ‘Radio Ga Ga,’ bringing the authentic Queen sound to the stage in the festival tent. Information and tickets for the concert are available online at www.ikum-ingelheim.de/event/rockfonie.
The 2025 red wine festival programme will be complemented by tried-and-tested offerings: for young people aged 12 and over, the ‘Green Room’ will once again feature an alcohol-free chill-out area with table football, karaoke and an iced tea bar. As in previous years, visitors can once again purchase the popular ‘Piffche Pass’, which can be used at various wine stands. The ‘Schoppe-Kärtsche’ will also be available again at this year's Red Wine Festival. With this stamp card, visitors can get ten glasses of wine for a total of 40 euros exclusively at the red wine fountain during the nine days of the festival.
The Ingelheim Red Wine Festival would not be complete without traditional events such as the Red Wine Festival Sunday, when shops are open for business, the mayor's Burgundy wine tasting, the Ü60-Treff (formerly Senior Citizens' Afternoon), the Family Afternoon with a colourful children's programme, and the Ingelheim Vintage Evening. The red wine festival will culminate on Sunday, 5 October at 9 p.m. with a brilliant fireworks display in the vineyards. The 2025 red wine festival programme is available for download and further information can be found online at www.ikum-ingelheim.de/rotweinfest
The Ingelheim Red Wine Festival is supported by: Molitor select GmbH, Rheinhessische Energie- und Wasserversorgungs-GmbH, Sparkasse Rhein-Nahe, REWE Ingelheim – Neue Mitte (REWE Markus Brzezina OHG) and Volksbank Darmstadt Mainz.
