What's happening in Brandenburg this weekend? Between July 25 and 26, the state runs the full range. At Bergheider See, the electronic and punk scene throws a four-day open-air party.
In Friesack, the state's biggest peace festival calls campers together. In Potsdam, Luisenplatz dances to African rhythms.
Our favourite sits elsewhere, though. In the Spreewald, young riders on horseback compete for a decorated rooster's head and wings - a Sorbian harvest rite older than any festival site. In between: a stork village with a double anniversary, a vineyard by the Havel, and a monastery church opening its concert season. Eleven dates, spread right across the state.
Feel Festival at Bergheider See: four days of subculture beneath a lying Eiffel Tower
From July 23 to 26, the Feel Festival gathers around 30,000 festivalgoers at Bergheider See. The site is a flooded open-cast mine south of Finsterwalde, right beside the monumental F60 conveyor bridge. Ten stages carry indie, rock, punk, hip-hop and electronic music, alongside more than 20 side programmes spanning camping grounds and art installations.
It ranks among Brandenburg's biggest subculture open-airs, and its crowd travels in from well beyond the state's borders. The combination is rare: where else do you dance in the shadow of a 240-metre steel giant? A loud, colourful summer weekend starts right here.
PAX - The World Peace Festival: camping and concerts for peace in Friesack
From July 23 to 26, the open-air stage in Friesack turns into Brandenburg's biggest peace festival. PAX, formerly Pax Terra Musica, reaches its eighth edition in 2026 under a new name and an expanded programme.
Four days of concerts, workshops, talks and campfire discussions run alongside a camping week from July 21 to 28. Visitors pitch tents and often stay the whole week. Unlike a pure music festival, exchange sits at the centre here. Anyone who wants to discuss, listen and join in finds more than a stage in Friesack.
15th Afrika Festival Potsdam/Brandenburg: The Traveller takes over Luisenplatz
On July 25 and 26, Luisenplatz in front of Potsdam's Brandenburg Gate turns fully panafrican. The Afrika Festival runs in 2026 under the motto Onye-lje, the traveller. It's organised by ICDI, backed by the state capital's 2026 festival fund.
Live music ranging from Afrobeats to traditional sounds, dance, food stalls and a craft market fill the square across two days. In its 15th edition, the festival has long counted among the state's most important formats for African and panafrican culture. Only know Potsdam for its palaces? Here's another side of the city.
Konzertsommer Oranienburg: Silly and Nino de Angelo in the castle courtyard
The historic castle courtyard in Oranienburg becomes an open-air stage from July 24 to September 5. The Konzertsommer opens with Silly's elektro-AKUSTIK tour alongside Julia Neigel on July 24. Nino de Angelo follows a day later with Un Momento Italiano.
Four headline concerts define the 2026 series, closing in September with Saltatio Mortis. The baroque backdrop meets German pop and rock here, a mix that draws crowds from across the region. Anyone who prefers familiar names against historic walls rather than a concert hall should plan their weekend around these two nights.
Kokot w Borkowach: 133 years of rooster-pulling in the Spreewald
On July 25 and 26, the Domowina youth group in Burg holds the 133rd edition of Hahnrupfen, Sorbian for Kokot w Borkowach. The event takes place on Waldschlosschenstrasse, near the Nahke ditch. Young riders gallop to tear the head and wings from a decorated rooster hung beneath a flag-draped arch. Traditional dress, music and Sorbian custom accompany the ride.
The harvest rite ranks among the oldest and best-known Wendish-Sorbian traditions in the Spreewald, passed down generation to generation. No other event in this line-up speaks so directly of the region's minority culture. Living history survives in Burg, far from any festival ground.
Storchenfest Ruehstaedt: a double anniversary in the European Stork Village
On July 24 and 25, the certified European Stork Village of Ruehstaedt in the Prignitz holds its traditional Storchenfest, with two anniversaries at once. For the first time, the village hosts the great gathering of European stork villages. And the volunteer fire brigade marks its 100th anniversary.
On the festival meadow by the visitor centre, guests find a varied programme, information stands on stork conservation, and glimpses into the brigade's history. Ruehstaedt itself counts among Europe's stork-richest villages, a place where nature conservation and village tradition meet. Anyone who'd rather see storks on the nest than in a travel article is in the right place this weekend.
Winzerfest on the Werder Wachtelberg: wine on the Havel's banks
On July 24 and 25, the association for historic winegrowing hosts the Winzerfest on the Wachtelberg in Werder (Havel). From 2pm to 10pm, winegrowers from various German regions present their wines and specialities. Live music and catering fill out the historic vineyard setting right by the river. The opening evening on July 23 starts at 7pm with a members' gathering.
Werder is known for its blossom festival, less for wine. This event is a reminder that vines have grown here for centuries too. Admission is free - just bring a thirst for regional wine.
Music at Altfriedland Monastery: concert season opens under a starred vault
On July 26, the 22nd edition of Music at Altfriedland Monastery begins and runs through September 19. Eight concerts fill the star-vaulted refectory of the Cistercian convent in Altfriedland, part of the town of Neuhardenberg in the Maerkisch-Oderland district. The programme spans Bach's The Art of Fugue through Marian works to further early-music offerings.
The monastery ranks among the state's most important early-music venues. This weekend's season opening kicks off the coming two months. Chamber music under a Gothic vault sounds different from a concert hall - summer starts here.
Plauer Fischerjakobi: a fishing tradition dating back to the 14th century
Plauer Fischerjakobi ranks among Brandenburg's oldest traditional festivals. It's documented since the 14th century and dedicated to Saint James, patron of fishermen. In 2026, it runs from July 26 to 28 in the Plaue district of Brandenburg an der Havel, right on the Havel at Bornufer.
Three days of stage programming with concerts, dance shows and sports demonstrations accompany a parade and Havel fishing customs. The festival opens on the Sunday of this weekend and runs through Tuesday, one more reason to stop by as early as July 26. Anyone after tradition without an event-industry gloss finds a festival older than most towns around it in Plaue.
Oldtimer and motorsport meeting: vintage racers in front of the steelworks hall
Traditionally on the last July weekend, the grounds of the former Siemens-Martin steel hall turn into an open-air stage for classic vehicles. The venue is the industrial museum in Brandenburg an der Havel. On July 25 and 26, the Oldtimer and motorsport meeting features demonstration runs with vintage racing motorcycles and cars. A curated exhibition on Brandenburg's industrial history rounds out the programme.
The museum itself sits inside a former steel hall, an industrial landmark that lends the motorsport theme its own patina. Chrome, sheet metal and engine noise meet museum atmosphere here, not a fairground - a rare combination.
Beelitz Arts and Crafts Market: an open workshop by the Nieplitz
On July 25 and 26, the Arts and Crafts Market turns the festival meadow by the Nieplitz into an open-air workshop. Painters, sculptors, glass artists, potters and other makers from Berlin, Brandenburg and neighbouring states show their work directly at their stalls. They demonstrate techniques live.
Given good weather, the family-friendly event draws plenty of visitors into the asparagus town, which plays art venue for the weekend. Between Fischerjakobi and Hahnrupfen, this market is the only date this weekend where craft, not music, takes centre stage. Would rather browse than dance? Beelitz is the right address this weekend.
For more events across Germany, see our agenda for this weekend. Rave by a flooded mine, or rooster games in the Spreewald? Brandenburg shows just how wide its festival summer runs on July 25 and 26.
