Photo: At the Terrassenufer, 500 people in traditional costume and mountain musicians from 29 miners' and brothers' guilds set off on the Grand Mountain Parade.
The Great Mountain Parade is taking place in Dresden again
A globally unique spectacle and highlight of the Christmas season in Dresden Elbland
Dresden, 24 November 2025. Saxon mountain parades and mountain ascents have a centuries-old tradition and have been included in the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage since 2016. This tradition is also cultivated in Dresden – with the Great Mountain Parade, whose origins date back to Augustus the Strong. On 20 December 2025, it will take place again for the first time in fourteen years. 500 people in traditional costume and miners' musicians from 29 miners' guilds and brotherhoods will then come together to form a powerful image of living tradition.
Route and dramaturgy of the procession: goosebumps guaranteed
The procession, which lasts around an hour, begins at 4 p.m. with the assembly on the Terrassenufer. From there, the parade moves to Schlossplatz, past the Fürstenzug, around the Frauenkirche and on through the old town until it reaches the forecourt of the Kulturpalast. This is where the grand closing ceremony takes place, which is traditionally presided over by Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer.
Historical roots: a legacy of Augustus the Strong
The roots of the Great Mountain Parade date back to 1719. On the occasion of the wedding celebrations of his son Friedrich August II, Augustus the Strong elevated the previously rural Saturn Festival to a representative festival of the Ore Mountains' mining and smelting industry. The magnificent miners' procession led the miners and smelters of the time from Coschütz down the slope into the Weißeritz Valley.
1,600 torch-bearing miners, machine models and over 170 vivid depictions of mining work processes made the parade an impressive showcase of Saxon industry.
A living tradition today
The Saxon Association of Miners', Metallurgists' and Miners' Associations continues to cultivate and preserve this cultural heritage to this day, bringing it to life with events such as the Grand Mining Parade. The state capital Dresden and the Förderverein historischer Altmarkt e.V. (Association for the Promotion of the Historic Old Market) support the organisation of the parade.
All offers for the Christmas season in Dresden Elbland are listed on our Christmas page.