What is Libori?
Libori is part religious spectacle part secular festival celebrating the patron saint of Paderborn Liborius
You will find Food, drink, lots of live entertainment in the heart of the city starting on the 27th Jul. The event finishes with a firework show on the following Friday.
One million people are expected to visit Paderborn over the nine days of Libori.
In the year 799 the Holy Roman Emperor granted the full status of diocese to the city. This allowed for the eventual construction of a cathedral.
In 835 the Bishops of Le Mans and Paderborn were friends. At this time Paderborn was a city without a Patron saint.
To remedy the situation the Bishop of Le Mans offered to his friend the relics of St Liborius who was the the first bishop of Le Mans.
The people of paderborn gathered to the welcome the monks who had walked with the relics all the way from France. This gathering is said to the start of the festival and fair we enjoy today.
Opening Ceremony Schedule for Saturday
The Rathaus /City Hall
Here you will find the Main Stage and a Giant Beer barrel. The main stage is for live music bands will perform most nights from 2100 - 2230.
Acts range from Voodoo lounge the Rolling Stones cover band to a Rockabilly three piece The Silverettes.
You can also catch major German acts like MIU who brings her best selling Modern take on soul to Libori and German indie rockers Petra Chapel.
Fun Fair
Libori Alpine Hut and the Beer Gardens
You can find this massive wooden hut on the fairground. A great place for drink and food. Live music or DJ’s will keep the party atmosphere going through to closing time.
You can find several Beer gardens set up especially for Libori. Use this link to find out where they all are.
Pottmarkt
Around 160 market traders are selected and approved for the Pottmarkt on the market and cathedral square.
How to Get There Park & Ride
The P + R shuttle service is available on both Libori weekends, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
The large car park on Heinz-Nixdorf-Ring (Riemekestraße 154) is available for free parking during this time.
From there, the shuttle buses run every 15 minutes to the "Westerntor" stop, platform C (arrival and departure for the return journey).
The price for adults is €2.00 and for children aged 6 to 14 it is €1.00 and includes both the outward and return journey with the shuttle service.
When starting the return journey, the ticket must be validated at the relevant machine on the bus.
How to Get There - Bus Service From Sennelager
You can catch the buses from the stops near the SFA on Thuner Weg and Bielefelder Str: For evening services this weeekend expect the bus to get very busy as you get closer to the city.
Night bus services will run for the Libori; the N1 service will run from 00:30 and 01:30, 02:30 and 03:30. The bus can be caught from the Westerntor, Am Bogen and Kasseler Straße stops in Paderborn.
Libori Merch Drop
No self respecting German fair is complete without the themed Beer glass or mug. This year the design shows off artwork of Paderborn.
The most popular Libori souvenirs are the Libori mug (€7), the Libori glass mug (€4) and the Libori long drink glass (€4) with motifs that change every year. This year, the motif of the popular mugs and glasses is dedicated to the newly designed Paderufer on Michaelsstraße and the reading garden behind the city library.
Other items include wristbands, Plushies and belt clips all themed around the celebration.
Whether knives, corsets or hats, you can find almost everything here and a stroll is always worthwhile. There is also food and drink available here. A "must" when visiting Libori!
The people of paderborn gathered to the welcome the monks who had walked with the relics all the way from France. This gathering is said to the start of the festival and fair we enjoy today.
Opening Ceremony Schedule for Saturday
- Sat 27th Raising of the Golden Shrine at 1500 - Paderborn Dom A ceremony where the relics are raised from the DOM Crypt.
- Sat 27th Funfair opens 1400
- Sat 27th 16:30 the Mayor Michael Drier opens the secular celebration by tapping the giant beer barrel.
- Sun 28th The Golden Shrine is processed through the City after mass at the Dom
The Rathaus /City Hall
Here you will find the Main Stage and a Giant Beer barrel. The main stage is for live music bands will perform most nights from 2100 - 2230.
Acts range from Voodoo lounge the Rolling Stones cover band to a Rockabilly three piece The Silverettes.
You can also catch major German acts like MIU who brings her best selling Modern take on soul to Libori and German indie rockers Petra Chapel.
Fun Fair
The massive fairground on Liboriberg is a focal point of the event for many. here you find the rids, food stalls and beer gardens.
Opening hours:
Opening hours:
- Sat. 27th from 14:00
- Daily 11:00 a.m. - 00:00
Libori Alpine Hut and the Beer Gardens
You can find this massive wooden hut on the fairground. A great place for drink and food. Live music or DJ’s will keep the party atmosphere going through to closing time.
You can find several Beer gardens set up especially for Libori. Use this link to find out where they all are.
Pottmarkt
- July 27th from 12:00 - 20:00
- Sundays from 11:00 - 20:00
- On other days from 09:00 - 20:00
Around 160 market traders are selected and approved for the Pottmarkt on the market and cathedral square.
How to Get There Park & Ride
The P + R shuttle service is available on both Libori weekends, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
The large car park on Heinz-Nixdorf-Ring (Riemekestraße 154) is available for free parking during this time.
From there, the shuttle buses run every 15 minutes to the "Westerntor" stop, platform C (arrival and departure for the return journey).
The price for adults is €2.00 and for children aged 6 to 14 it is €1.00 and includes both the outward and return journey with the shuttle service.
When starting the return journey, the ticket must be validated at the relevant machine on the bus.
How to Get There - Bus Service From Sennelager
You can catch the buses from the stops near the SFA on Thuner Weg and Bielefelder Str: For evening services this weeekend expect the bus to get very busy as you get closer to the city.
- Bus Service 1, Bielefelder Str
- Bus Services 5, Thuner Weg
Night bus services will run for the Libori; the N1 service will run from 00:30 and 01:30, 02:30 and 03:30. The bus can be caught from the Westerntor, Am Bogen and Kasseler Straße stops in Paderborn.
Libori Merch Drop
No self respecting German fair is complete without the themed Beer glass or mug. This year the design shows off artwork of Paderborn.
The most popular Libori souvenirs are the Libori mug (€7), the Libori glass mug (€4) and the Libori long drink glass (€4) with motifs that change every year. This year, the motif of the popular mugs and glasses is dedicated to the newly designed Paderufer on Michaelsstraße and the reading garden behind the city library.
Other items include wristbands, Plushies and belt clips all themed around the celebration.
Whether knives, corsets or hats, you can find almost everything here and a stroll is always worthwhile. There is also food and drink available here. A "must" when visiting Libori!
Fireworks
The firework spectacle is on Sunday, August 4th from around 10:30 p.m. The traditional location of the Paderquelle cannot be used this year.
A new site has been found which will allow for fireworks to launch higher into the air.
This means the fireworks will be visible from the fairground this year. You can plan viewing spots using this link.