Augsburg Peace Festival in Germany Date in the current year: August 8, 2024

The Augsburg Peace Festival commemorates the implementation of the 1648 Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and restored the religious freedom of the Augsburg Protestants granted by the 1555 Peace of Augsburg.

The Peace Festival was first observed on August 8, 1650 and has been celebrated each year since then. The date of August 8 was chosen because on this day in 1629 the oppression of the Augsburg Protestants began.

Since 1984, the holiday has been celebrated by the Catholic Church as well. On this day, a special Church service for members of all Christian denominations is held. As the Augsburg Peace Festival is a public holiday, government offices, banks, post offices, educational institutions, and most businesses are closed on the day.

Once every three years, the Augsburg Peace Prize is awarded to people who have made significant contributions to a peaceful and tolerant coexistence of different religions and cultures. The prize was founded in 1985.