Since almost 20 years, the Drachenfest gets celebrated in Germany – it’s one of the largest German LARP events. MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiss has been participating for a few years now and tells you why she cannot imagine her vacation calendar without this event anymore. 

One of my favorite hobbies is playing Pen & Paper. Meeting with friends to play Dungeons & Dragons or Call of Cthulhu. Determining how well my character can do something with dice while trying to stay in character. The usual.

However, I am a very active person and sitting still is difficult for me. I need movement. That’s why since 2022 I regularly attend LARP events. Part of my annual summer vacation? The Drachenfest, the festival of Dragons. The ticket for my 5th visit in summer 2026 is already secured.

But what is LARP actually? LARP is short for Live Action Role Playing, and it is when Dungeons & Dragons at the table is no longer enough, and you go on quests in reality with costumes and foam weapons.

People gather here dressed up to play a real round of Pen & Paper. There are tasks to complete, duels to fight, and monsters to slay. From high fantasy to cyberpunk to post-apocalyptic, there is a genre of world and intensity for every taste. 

You can read more about what exactly LARP is, who you play there, and how everything works here: 

More on the topic

Because Dungeons & Dragons is too much sitting, I’m now questing through real life with sword and shield

von Sophia Weiss

The Drachenfest – When over 4,500 nerds enjoy themselves

The Drachenfest is a big convention. Since 2006, it has spread over approximately 40 hectares at the Quast near Diemelstadt and, according to the Facebook page, has recently accommodated over 4,500 participants. This makes it one of the largest LARP events in Germany. It usually takes place at the end of July or the beginning of August and typically lasts for four days – over a week, if you count the preparation. 

The participants consist of organizers, game masters, non-player characters (NPCs), helpers like paramedics, and finally regular players. The latter camp in 11 thematically different camps, depending on how they classify their character or where their best friends are. In addition, there is the Orc camp, the Landsknechte, the tribes, and the town where most NPCs live.

Each of the 11 camps is assigned a colored dragon. Each embodies its own philosophy and calls corresponding characters to it. Here are a few examples:

The motto of the blue camp is “Free and Unyielding”. So, it is a camp full of freedom-loving people, including sailors of all kinds, sea creatures, or just anyone who values not being in any kind of unwanted chain. 

For the red dragon, those who love to fight and enjoy battles rally. The black one calls mages and shadow beings to it. The camps with the most participants include blue and green. The latter stands for the cycle of life, hunting, and natures power.

Important: Any character can attend the Dragon Festival. Elves, Vikings, wizards, lizard folk, orcs, pirates, Landsknechte… I even once saw a samurai and a stormtrooper. The most important thing is that you find the camp that suits your character. 

Dragon Eggs for the New Dragon Year

The plot of the Drachenfest is essentially the same every year: The dragons call their followers together to determine the best among them in a competition. 

The winner is the camp that has collected the most dragon eggs after the final battle. These are awarded, for example, by successfully completing tasks, winning competitions, or collecting specific quest rewards.

Each camp also has a camp banner. If a camp manages to steal another camp’s banner and keep it, there are eggs for that as well. This way, the warriors, too, can actively participate in the competition. However, the most eggs at once are awarded for victory in the final battle on the last game day. 

The dragon with the most points wins, and the new Dragon Year is dedicated to the winner. 

In addition, there are of course many other large overarching, but also many small storylines and plot points that players can follow. Generally, there is always something for everyone to do, and if you want, you can always find eager quest-givers who need help – for example, I once provided marriage counseling.

And if you simply don’t want to, you can just enjoy an incredibly atmospheric event. The players make great efforts every year to decorate their camp sites appropriately:

For example, the pirates hang many blue string lights that cloak the paths at night in the eerie light of a siren cave. Green is known for its large and extravagant garden, where the history of the dragon world is told. 

Each camp has attractions and also businesses run by players: There are coffeehouses, at least one pizzeria, mages, alchemists… The list is long.

The NPCs mostly live in the town of Aldradach. Here you can find, for example, the fighters’ and alchemists’ guilds. If you want, you can grab a drink at the Durstiger Dolch (Voracious Dagger), a real tavern. There is even a matchmaking service, a post office, and the herald, the official newspaper of Aldradach. 

Click on one of the images to enlarge it:

Adventures at the Festival of Dragons

I have spent my dragon years in the green camp so far. Originally, I signed up because it explicitly states on the homepage that it is also suitable for beginners. By now, I am there because I like it and have found many friends there. 

I camp with a super nice group of Vikings, orcs, and amazons. The roof over my head is a large black yurt. In the morning, we have a communal breakfast and in the evening, we take turns cooking. 

Adventures at the Drachenfest look different depending on the time of day. In my first year, for example, I encountered a troop of horrible orcs on my way to the NPC town with friends during the day. First, they surrounded us, and then their leader politely but firmly asked us where we were going. 

We explained that we were on our way to the town. It was still exactly 50 meters away. Unfortunately, we were already surrounded. There were four of us. The orcs were more like ten. 

Talking our way out of it didn’t get us anywhere. Eventually, I offered them the four copper coins I had in my pocket: One copper for each of my group, whom the orcs would safely escort to the town. I was really nervous. But the orc chief liked the deal. We made it to our destination.

On another occasion, a female archer from our camp burst through our gate: She and her companion had been in the orc camp, and he was badly injured with the Landsknechte. He needed urgent medical help. I felt called to help and ran off. Normally, it would have taken me about 20 minutes to walk to the Landsknechte’s camp. This time it took five. 

I had exactly one bandage and some water with me. First, I poured the healing potion down the throat of the injured person (with permission, of course), but it only healed one of two wounds. I treated the wound on the arm with the bandage as best as I could. With some helping hands, I finally carried the colleague back to the camp. I was out of breath, tired, but incredibly satisfied with myself. 

Click on one of the images to enlarge it:

At night, however, it feels entirely different. Everything is more serious, wilder. Orcs attack before they talk to you. Once it gets dark, one does not simply walk across the field anymore. 

At the Drachenfest, there are no huge spotlights. All the light you have are brought-from-home, lanterns and (electric) candles. Accordingly, at night in the field is the time of the hunters: 

Small groups wander around and catch unsuspecting groups on their way back to the camp. Some want tolls in copper. Others attack and send you directly to the limbo. The limbo is the place where players respawn when they have lost all their life points. After big battles, there are often queues here.

At night, the monsters from the Wandel also come out. In the over-18 camp, you will find almost exclusively mythical creatures like Japanese fox gods, man-sized rats, or lizard folk. During the day they are already impressive. But when unnatural, unexplainable sounds come at you in the dark, you better run away quickly. 

A week of hardly sleeping? Awesome, gonna be doing it again

The Drachenfest has been a fixed part of my vacation calendar since 2022. I want to keep it that way. After every trip to the green camp, I return very satisfied with myself and the world. Even if I don’t get much sleep at Drachenfest and at home, I first lie flat for another one or two days.

Moreover, it helps me to completely block out reality: To not disturb the atmosphere, the phone stays in the pocket most of the time. Other electronics are also scarce due to the lack of power supply. You are almost completely offline for a week at the Drachenfest. It feels good.

I am also very much looking forward to 2026. In 2025, the festival took place for the last time at Quast near Diemelstadt. Next year, it will be celebrated for the first time at Waldeck by the lake, on the grounds of the former golf club. 

This will make the Dragon Festival even bigger: The golf course, whose area is now being taken over, had 99 hectares according to Golfdates.de. Thus, the event will grow by a whole 59 hectares. That’s almost 140 soccer fields. 

My legs are already thanking me. More cardio in my gym plan is probably appropriate. I will also tidy up my crafting corner soon for the new projects.

I can only recommend the Dragon Festival as a wonderful LARP experience. Even as a first LARP experience. The only important thing is to bring some curiosity. 

A large Con is incredibly exhausting. But equally satisfying and fun. I don’t want to miss the Drachenfest anymore, and I look forward to meeting all my old and hopefully many new friends in Waldeck in 2026. Maybe you will be there with us too. If you’re still looking for ideas to design your character, maybe here is something for you: 11 magical tattoos in Dungeons & Dragons that will make you not only stylish but also powerful

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment