185 Years of Bürgerkapelle Tramin – Anniversary Festival

The Jubiläumsfest for the 185th anniversary of Bürgerkapelle Tramin

In 2026, the Bürgerkapelle Tramin, the historic town band of Tramin an der Weinstraße, celebrates its 185th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the band is hosting a Jubiläumsfest (anniversary festival) at the Festplatz, the town's covered festival square, in the heart of the South Tyrolean wine region in the province of Bolzano.

A band with ancient roots

The origins of the Bürgerkapelle lie in a local church orchestra. As early as 1779, during the handover of the Tramin market to Empress Maria Theresa, records mention music performed by citizens with drums and trumpets. The archives hold scores dating back to 1846, and the ensemble was reorganized around 1880 by conductor Christian Riedl. The oldest photograph, from 1885, shows the band already boasting about fifty musicians. In 1913, the Kapelle adopted the characteristic Nationaltracht, the elegant folk costume with a dark red jacket inspired by 19th-century Tyrolean bourgeois fashion.

Today

The Bürgerkapelle Tramin now brings together 52 musicians and has been directed since 2011 by conductor Norbert Rabanser, a percussion professor at the Innsbruck Conservatory. A member of the Verband Südtiroler Musikkapellen (VSM), the band cultivates a repertoire ranging from Tyrolean marching music to concert and entertainment pieces, and is a pillar of cultural life in the municipality of Tramin.

What to expect at the festival

• Live brass music from the Bürgerkapelle Tramin and guest groups
• Typical South Tyrolean gastronomy and Tyrolean specialties
• Wines from the Wine Road, including the famous Gewürztraminer that bears the town's name
• A festive village atmosphere for the entire community and visitors

Admission to the festival is free. The event is held at the Festplatz in Tramin, easily accessible from the Egna-Termeno (Neumarkt-Tramin) motorway exit.

Tramin an der Weinstraße

Tramin is one of the most famous villages on the South Tyrolean Wine Road, known worldwide for the Gewürztraminer grape variety. The town band's festival is the perfect opportunity to discover South Tyrolean hospitality, the tradition of brass band music, and the oenological excellence of this corner of the region.