Aasee Festival in Bocholt from 14 to 16 August 2026 at the Badebucht

A summer weekend full of music, games, fun and good cheer by Lake Aasee

16 August 2025_Aasee Festival 2025_Photo_Sven Betz — *© Sven Betz*

Bocholt. From 14 to 16 August, the bathing bay on Lake Aasee in Bocholt will be transformed into a colourful festival area featuring music, hands-on activities, delicious food and refreshing drinks. As well as the stage programme presented by RADIO WMW, there will be a wide range of free children's activities, food trucks, drinks stalls and the Bocholt Strandcafé - a festival for the whole family.

Friday, 14 August - Festival kicks off with DJ Alex Fietz & R.I.O. feat. U-Jean

From 4 pm, the "Free & Outdoors" festivalopens its doors with relaxed background music, the children's play area, street food and chilled drinks. From 6 pm, DJ Alex Fietz takes to the decks and gets the stage rocking with his mix of EDM, current chart hits and party anthems - the perfect start to the festival weekend - danceable, energetic and guaranteed to get you moving.

The highlight of the evening, at around 9.30 pm, is the live performance by R.I.O. The internationally successful dance project R.I.O. was launched in 2007 by the German production team Yann Peifer (Yanou) and Manuel Reuter (Manian). To this day, the act can look back on mega-hits such as "Shine On%$, "When The Sun Comes Down%$, "Like I Love You%$ and, most recently, "Turn This Club Around", the act can look back on a host of international summer hits and top chart positions, as well as sold-out concerts in more than 50 countries. Following R.I.O.'s performance, DJ Alex Fietz will once again take the DJ reins and ensure a relaxed end to the first night of the party.

Saturday, 15 August - Pilates & DJ and lots of fun

The festival site, including the free children's play area, opensat 12 noon. At 1.15 pm, Pilates instructor Isabelle Mühlenweg will be leading a free taster session - "Full Body Pilates for all levels" - in front of the stage. In this class for adults and teenagers, classic Pilates exercises are combined with modern and slightly more dynamic movement sequences. The focus is on strengthening the core, promoting good posture and improving flexibility, balance and body awareness. The exercises will be clearly demonstrated and shown at various levels of difficulty, so that both beginners and more experienced participants can take part.

Duration: 45 minutes. Anyone wishing to take part should please bring a mat and a drink. The session can be done barefoot or in non-slip socks.

From 6.00 pm, DJ Dennis Beeken will take to the decks with chart hits, party tunes and hits from the 80s and 90s, kicking off the second evening of partying at the Aasee Festival.

Sunday, 16 August - Children's & Family Day with RADIO WMW

The gates will open againat 12 noon, and on Sunday the popular children's play area will be expanded to include a Radio WMW 'Children's Creative Street' with painting and craft activities, a badge-making stall, a face-painting and temporary tattoo stall, and much more.

A balloon artist will be on hand from 2.00 pm to add to the exciting programme for our younger visitors.

At 1.30 pm, visitors to the Aasee Festival can look forward to a performance by "Valeria% $. The solo singer, originally from Ukraine, has been living in Germany for two and a half years and her main aim is to introduce people here to modern, vibrant and energetic Ukrainian culture. Her musical repertoire differs from traditional folklore: she sings modern Ukrainian ethno-pop with driving beats, which fits perfectly with the summery open-air vibe on the beach.

From 3.00 pm, the stage belongs to our laid-back Bocholt-based duo "Quite Relaxed", who will provide the perfect sundowner to round off the Aasee Festival.

New site layout and safety concept this year

For the past five years, the Aasee Festival has been the go-to event for everyone who loves summer in Bocholt. In 2026, we'll be celebrating this small anniversary with the festival's tried-and-tested atmosphere and a new concept designed to ensure greater comfort, cleanliness and safety. In recent years, visitor numbers and the intensity of use have risen sharply. This has led to significantly more litter and safety issues caused by the large number of bulky items brought onto the site. To ensure the event remains safe, clean and family-friendly, the festival site will be fenced off for the first time this year. Entry is free and takes place via two central entrances where bags will be checked.

The following are permitted on the site:

One rucksack or bag containing a maximum of 1 litre of drinks (NO glass!) per person
Snacks & picnic blankets
Baby food and any special dietary requirements due to medical conditions

The following are prohibited on the premises:

Glass bottles, hard plastic boxes and baskets
Handcarts, tables, chairs, barbecues and other bulky items
Catering platters or food from delivery services
Carrying weapons of any kind, as well as objects that can be used as weapons or as throwing, striking or stabbing implements

A small extra stage at the Bocholt beach café

This year, there'll be the occasional musical interludeoutside the Bocholt Strandcafé. The four experienced musicians "TREAD 4.0" captivate audiences with their acoustic sound and a unique blend of acoustic tunes and rousing entertainment. The band's repertoire ranges from German-language to international pop, blues, soul and rock classics - all interpreted in the band's own style.

""We enjoy our music and that's what we want to convey,"" explains the band's lead singer and guitarist, Tamme Piek, who hails from Groningen. Visitors to the Strandcafé can therefore look forward to music that will delight them both musically and emotionally, and which is sure to be great fun.

Further festival highlights

Dinghy sailing for everyone - Saturday, 10 am-4 pm

The Sporthochsee-Segler-Gemeinschaft Bocholt-Rhede e. V. is once again inviting people to a free taster sailing session at the jetty (near McDonald's) on Saturday 15 August.
Everyone, whether beginners or more experienced sailors, is welcome on board - under the guidance of experienced club members. The aim is to get people of all ages excited about sailing and to let them experience the joy of water sports. Boats and safety equipment (life jackets) will be provided. Participants will receive a brief introduction to the basics of sailing, as well as information about sailing courses at the SGBR. A great addition to the Aasee Festival!

Bocholt Classic Meeting - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm

The region's largest classic car meet is also taking place at Lake Aasee:
At the "Bocholt Classic Meeting" on 16 August, proud owners will be showcasing their automotive treasures on the festival grounds on the western shore of Lake Aasee (Im Königsesch).

Thanks to our partners

This festival would not be possible without the generous support of our many local partners.

Many thanks to: stadtwerker, RADIO WMW, Stadtsparkasse Bocholt, Fliesen Theissen, Handelshof Bocholt, Bitburger Braugruppe, Tekloth Solar, Getränke Westhoff, Autohaus Evers, TIS and Bocholter Strandcafé.

Further information at www.bocholt.de/aaseefestival